Signposts Up Ahead?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

You know those yellow and black road signs that show the curve of the road?

Some display simple left or right curves ahead and some are squiggly lines indicating a road ahead with lots of twists and turns.

They are meant as a caution for you so that you know what lies ahead and can adjust your speed accordingly.

Wouldn’t it be nice if life came with those kinds of indicators?

Here a couple of examples:

 “Trial Just Ahead”

“Next Exit – Tests and Difficulties”

But I have yet to encounter any of those ‘signs’.

Even for believers; we find God often becomes silent just as we enter the wilderness.

He knows there is a “Promised Land” for us on the other side but we must cross the desert to get there.

The ‘early warning’ we are looking for often only serves to bolster a

self-reliance instead of a God reliance He desires each of us to grow into.

Are you ready for the next test?

It may be just around the next corner...

...but God is already there waiting for you!

Let this Mandisa song minister to you - 

https://youtu.be/b8VoUYtx0kw

Acceptance

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Romans 15:7

Accepting someone does not mean we agree with everything they say and do.

We are often reluctant to accept those whose view and opinions don’t match ours precisely.

But what of Christ’s acceptance of you and me?

Stop and think honestly about that for a moment.

Certainly we did not find ourselves in 100% perfect union with the Spirit of God before we were accepted and adopted into the family of God.

And yet that is precisely what He did!

When you fail to accept the weaker brother who believes differently than you, what are you doing?

You are both judging him and rejecting him.

That kind of divisiveness is not pleasing to the Lord.

When we accept one another, Paul says, we bring praise to God.

Don’t miss that opportunity.

Let God work in those you might disagree with just as He is working in you.

If you or I kept the company of only those we completely agreed with concerning the faith then we would be very lonely indeed!

It’s like Christmas 365 days a year

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

What is one constant thing that happens every morning?  The sun rises.  No matter what happened the day before, one thing you can bet the farm on – the sun will rise in the morning.  And with it will come a brand new day with hopes, dreams, challenges, and opportunities.

Do you know what else happens every morning?  It’s just as sure to happen as the sun rising.  Can you guess?

The answer is in Lamentations 3:22-23 where God says “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Do you see it?  Every morning, we receive a new supply of God’s mercy, regardless of how much of God’s mercy we used up the previous day.

I love Webster’s definition of mercy.  It reads – “Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.”

Every morning, you and I get a fresh supply of God’s compassion and forgiveness no matter how badly we messed up the day before.  God wipes the slate clean – every morning.

It’s like Christmas 365 days a year. God’s mercy is a gift we get to unwrap every morning.

Mediate on this truth the next time you roll out of bed in the morning.  It will cause your heart to well up with love and gratitude towards your heavenly Father and motivate you to live a life pleasing to Him.

All For Us

“ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah 53:3-6

The entire chapter of Isaiah Chapter 53 is familiar to many.

It speaks about Jesus hundreds of years before He comes to earth.

Yet a few verses stood out to me recently as I read them.

Verse 36 says the Messiah is “...a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.”

So often we picture the suffering of Jesus beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed.

Yet this verse tells us He was a man of sorrows (plural) and that He was familiar with suffering.

To be sure, no man endured what Jesus did on His way to the cross but suffering was not introduced to Him that day.

Certainly it was more intense but He was familiar with suffering and sorrow throughout His ministry.

He had come from heaven; He saw the effects of the fall of man.

No doubt the unbelief of others – even of the 12 He had chosen – weighed on Him.

Perhaps the rejection of His own people caused great sorrow to Him.

One thing is clear form this verse though, much in His life and ministry prepared Him (as much as one could be prepared for the horror He endured) for the sorrow and suffering of Calvary.

But it was not a fruitless suffering because three days later He rose.

What He endured along with the victory of the resurrection was done for you and for me.

Praise God for His willing obedience!

Honor and Respect

“Give to everyone what you owe them:

If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue;

if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

Romans 13:7

I want to add to what was posted here previously concerning the verse above.

Am I holding back what I owe someone?

The verse expressly tells me to give everyone what is owed them.

Paul specifically mentions taxes and revenue but then he goes on and nails every one of us by mentioning two other things we often withhold – respect and honor.

He had just been speaking of those in authority so in context how about a little respect and honor for those who lead our nation, state, city or town?

How about a little respect for our boss, our teacher or the police officer?

Nowhere in this verse does Paul declare we only need to respect those that we agree with.

He doesn’t even say respect and honor only those you like!

Respect and honor are due then because of the position of authority they hold understanding that they hold that position with the authority and permission of God.

Soooo...when we disrespect and dishonor those to whom respect and honor are due...who is it really that you are disrespecting and dishonoring?

Food for thought.

I Owe, I Owe...

“ Give to everyone what you owe them:

If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue;

if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

Romans 13:7

I owe, I owe so off to prayer I go!

Huh?

Isn’t that little ditty supposed to be:

I owe, I owe so off to work I go? Nope, at least not in my version.

You see what I take away from the verse above is not to owe any many anything and that includes gratitude.

Do you owe someone a word of thanks for a blessing you received, large or small?

Don’t hold back what you owe.

I know what you’re’ thinking –

“Why this message today – shouldn’t this post be for the third Thursday in November?”

I hope not! Gratitude must not be expressed one day out of the year only, nor should it be persuaded out of us because it is what ‘everyone does on this day’!

Yes, I know Paul was speaking about respect and honor but how better to respect and honor someone than to express your gratitude to them.

It may be just the encouragement they need to hear.

Maybe they were ready to throw in the towel but your words motivate them to persevere.

What an honor to have a part in someone continuing in the work they have been called to.

Soooo...as you go to prayer ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you owe an expression of gratitude or thanks to someone and then follow-up by obeying.

You just may reap what you sow!

One Day at a Time?

“We did not give in to them for a moment,

so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”

Galatians 2:5

One day at a time?

How about one moment at a time?

With all due respect to the song writer who penned these words –

“One day at a time, sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking from you.”

I have to sing a different tune.

“...moment-by-moment new mercies I see.”

A 24 hour block of temptation is just too much for me.

I can get into trouble way faster than that!

I don’t know about you but I need a moment-by-moment walk with the Lord.

Think about it this way – twenty-four hours equals one thousand four hundred and forty  minutes which equals eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds.

Eighty six thousand and four hundred seconds!

That’s a lot of opportunities to lose my focus and turn my attention away.

Nope, it’s got to be one moment at a time for me.

When we learn to live in the moment with our walk with the Lord instead of one day at a time we are given the chance to stop and linger in His presence.

We need not wait until the end of the day or the start of a new one to ask for His mercy and receive the grace we need to make it through the moment we are facing.

Call me weak if you want but I choose the moment over the day.

Moment-by-moment!

Which part of you does the leading?

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta

As we’ve talked about before, we are a 3 part being – body, soul, and spirit, although our body and soul get most of the press these days.

We talk about our aches and pains or the how stressed out we are over the busyness of our lives.  We focus on the many physical and emotion ills in our lives, but fail to focus on the miraculous life our spirit lives every moment of every day.

Let’s look at a few examples…

Our Spirit is one in union with God (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Our spirit is seated in heavenly places with Christ (Ephesians 2:6)

Our spirit receives assurance from God’s spirit that we are His children (Romans 8:16)

Our spirit never tires.  It never stops communing with God.  The problem is we focus on how we feel physically and emotionally instead of focusing on who we are spiritually.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says we are the righteousness of God.

You might say “I don’t feel very righteousness,” but are you going to focus on how you feel or what God says about you?  I prefer the latter.

There are real life stories of people who have lived as paupers, yet had millions of dollars in the bank.  We can chose to live by the weakness we see in our body and soul or by the rich inheritance we have spiritually as God’s children.

I know, it’s hard not to focus on what we can see, feel, and touch, but if we can train ourselves to look first at our spiritual position and let that lead us, our body, soul and spirit will live in harmony and we will enjoy a fellowship with God we never thought possible.

NOTE

To those of you who faithfully enjoy this blog you may have noticed a few missing days this week.

We lost a day due to our internet service provider shutting us off when they were working in our neighborhood and then turning everyone else back on but forgetting us!

Then I enjoyed a few days away for some family time.

Thanks for understanding and we are back now!

Wisdom is Not Enough

Today’s blog posting is contributed by David Trotta:

In today’s church, we put a premium on being wise.  We read to gain wisdom.  We pray asking for wisdom.  We look to those wiser than us for guidance, so we can glean what they have learned and become wiser in the process.

Growing in wisdom should be a lifelong goal and something we strive for, but when it comes to our relationship with the Lord, great wisdom doesn’t guarantee anything.

To make my point, let’s look at the wisest man that ever lived, Solomon.  How wise was he?  Well, this is what God said about him in 1 Kings 3: 12 - “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.”

As wise as Solomon was, in the end it didn’t benefit him.  He walked away from God in his later years.  Just 8 chapters later, what started out so wonderfully turned into this declaration - “Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully.”

How tragic.

I can’t help but think Solomon must have wrestled internally as he gradually left his first love to pursue the pleasures of this world.  I’m sure warning bells were going off as his heart grew colder and colder towards the Lord.

So, what does God put a premium on?  What characteristic gives us the best chance of staying God-focused?  In Isaiah 66:2 God says “But this is the one to whom I will look:
    he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

A humble and contrite heart causes God to stand up and take notice.  A humble and contrite heart will allow us to keep Him on the throne of our hearts, instead of the pleasures of this world.

Don’t stop desiring wisdom, especially God’s wisdom.  It’s beneficial in helping us live a life pleasing to him.  But, don’t put your trust in it alone.

More importantly, seek to always cultivate a humble and contrite heart.  Only when wisdom is mixed with a healthy dose of our human frailty, can we stay hungry for God and surrendered to His Lordship.

The Weak and the Strong

“Let us therefore make every effort to do

what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”

Romans 14:19

Do your words lead to peace and mutual edification or do they lead to agitation and distress?

The entire chapter of Romans 14 deals with the subject of brother judging brother over less than significant issues.

The counsel from Paul contained in today’s verse flies in the face of the attitude that demands its’ rights.

We are a culture bent on individualism and have, in many ways, made that our god.

If it offends me – you must stop!

It is not voluntary on my part based on the words of Paul but it is demanded by the offended party or those who align themselves with them.

This is fraught with issues that do not lead to peace but only to divisiveness.

One of the most divisive actions in today’s culture is a move to ‘inclusiveness’ because it demands that the church accept ungodly attitudes and behaviors.

This is not what Paul is speaking of in Romans 14.

Culture is reaching the point where it demands acceptance but Paul speaks of a willing surrender in areas of disagreement for the sake of a brother or sister.

He never suggests we surrender our belief in God’s word or to behave in unholy ways for the sake of a brother or sister.

When society ‘demands’ we need to look closely at what it is they are requiring.

We need not ‘...make every effort...’ to live outside the will of God.

A Challenging Task for Most!

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

Romans 13:1-2

These are challenging verses to say the least.

If we are prone to “compartmentalize” our lives and our reading of scriptures we might read these verses thinking that they only apply to submitting to the governing authorities of the church but Paul is writing in a much broader context.

For example, in a classroom the governing authority is the teacher, in the workplace it is our boss, in the city it is the police and elected officials, etc...

In every area of life we have those placed in governance over us.

We are to submit knowing that it is God who has established that authority.

Our options are very limited and are established in scripture.

Of course Paul is speaking of those who rule honorably.

We are not required to submit to those who demand that we violate the laws of God.

We certainly saw that when Daniel prayed to the Lord directly violating the command of the king.

Nonetheless, many of us balk when we are caught violating laws we all agree are necessary like speed limits or handicapped parking, etc...

This attitude does not honor God and teaches the next generation that Gods’ established authority in society need not be honored.

This will lead to anarchy.

May God help each of us to submit to those in authority in every area of our lives.

I Will Follow Him

“It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere.

Keep his commands and obey him;

serve him and hold fast to him.”

Deuteronomy 13:4

Today’s verse is one of those “it’s as plain as the nose on your face” statements.

The verse is very clear and there is no confusion as to what it means.

Follow, revere, keep, obey, serve and hold fast are the keys.

But we don’t want to follow, we would rather lead.

We stumble right out of the gate!

Its’ not a question of understanding what is being said but rather of our willingness to do it.

We think, why would I surrender the lead of my life to anyone?

But God is not just anyone.

He created you.

He has purpose and destiny for your life that can never be realized if you are determined to be the captain of your own ship.

It really is as simple as that.

Don’t complicate it.

Follow Him!

Big ‘G’ or Little ‘g’?

“I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I,

and not some foreign god among you.

You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God."

Isaiah 43:11-12

“...and apart from me there is no savior.”

That doesn’t leave a lot of room for other’s saviors, does it?

It’s that big “G” and little “g” thing.

We make many gods in our lives but there is only room for one God!

The Old Testament revealed the God who was the One true God.

Jesus came in the New Testament and reinforced what was declared in the Old.

Some people today like to say that that is rather harsh and not inclusive.

But disagreeing with the Truth does not make it any less the Truth.

God doesn’t offer us multiple ways to Him.

He offered His Son as the one true, final and acceptable path back to fellowship with the Father.

And it is an open invitation to ‘whosoever will’!

You like inclusiveness?

There it is, the invitation is to everyone.

But it must be accepted as presented.

Imagine receiving an invitation to a party from someone and then deciding that you didn’t like the location so you just showed up in another place.

Think you might be partying alone?

God invites us into fellowship with Him but then we want to set the terms of the invitation.

Maybe it’s time to read what the invitation says again...

“I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I,

and not some foreign god among you.

You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God."

Do you trust your heart to be your teacher?

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night. (Psalm 16:7)

Wait, my mind instructs me in the night?  Knowing the things that go through my mind sometimes, that’s a pretty scary thought.

The above verse underscores the importance of making sure our mind is renewed and reflects the mind of Christ, because whatever we fill our minds with during the day, will continue to shape and influence us long afterwards, even as we sleep.

Our minds are like a playlist on repeat.  They will keep playing the same song over and over.

In the above verse, the Psalmist could rejoice in being instructed by his heart at night because he allowed the Lord to be his counselor during the day.

Can you say the same? 

In the next verse (v8), the psalmist declares “I have set the Lord continually before me.”  The psalmist’s heart continually looked upon the Lord.  That’s all he thought about.  He allowed the Lord to provide direction and guidance to his heart.

Where do you receive your counsel from during the day?  Do you trust your heart to be your teacher at night?

It’s Time to Act

“"...Why stay here until we die?”

II Kings 7:3b

And then it’s time to act!

We’ve staked our claim with God.

We’ve prayerfully sought His direction and strategy.

We’ve not moved ahead of God but waited to move according to His timing.

And now He has released us to do just that!

The Battle of Jericho illustrates this well.

There was a specific time to act.

Too soon or too late would not have brought the victory they won that day.

So it is in our lives.

We wait but when it is time to step out, it is time to step out.

Peter waited for the invitation to step out of the boat and when Jesus spoke, he responded.

David was anointed King but waited years to see it fulfilled.

When it was time he acted.

“Here am I, send me!” was the response of the prophet Isaiah to the question:

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

How about you?

Is it time to act?

Has God said “Now!”

If so, then what are you waiting for?

It’s time to act...

Wait Patiently on the Lord

“It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.”

Lamentations 3:26

God is never late, He is never early, He is always on time.

The only ‘problem’ is that His timing can often frustrate us.

When it comes to obeying the Lord we can often be guilty of getting everything right but moving too soon or too late.

Just ask Abraham.

He and Sarah believed God for the promise of a child.

They just grew weary of waiting on God and the result of it was Ishmael.

They took matters into their own hands so to speak because, they felt, God must have wanted it that way or He would have fulfilled the promise long before.

As we have been speaking about, when it comes to ‘staking our claim’ we first must recognize the call of God, then we must identify our role in fulfilling it.

When those two are done we often find ourselves in a waiting pattern.

Like so many jets lined up on the runway we are eager for the air traffic controller in the control tower to give permission to take off.

But...it...seems...like...they...just...keep...us...in...a...holding...pattern.......

Hurry up and wait!

For all His own reasons God often does that as well.

Too be sure there is growth in the waiting.

We just don’t like it!

But true obedience and victory often has to wait.

While eagerness might sometimes be good it can also get us into a lot of trouble.

Don’t follow obediently after God only to step ahead of Him just before He says “Now!”

Wait patiently on the Lord.

Getting Gods’ Strategy

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart

         And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

         And He will make your paths straight”

Proverbs 3:5-6

We spoke previously of ‘staking a claim’ and said that we first must recognize Gods command in our lives to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world.

But that commission was to the entire church and the world is a big place.

So what follows recognition of the commission?

It is identifying our role specifically.

What has God called you and/or your local church to start with?

Prayerfully seek God for the open doors and strategy He has for you.

Keep in mind that what worked for someone else or at some other time is not necessarily how God will direct you to do it.

As the Children of Israel took the Promised Land they didn’t march around a city seven times.

Each battle plan was different and required that on-going intimate relationship with God that lets us in on His secrets for victory.

So we recognize, then we identify Gods’ plan or strategy.

It is so important that we not minimize or improvise after God has revealed His plans.

It is very easy to want to step out in our own ways or with what we “know” will work.

Don’t even seek God if you have no intention of listening to His counsel.

But enough of the ‘don’ts’, let move on to ‘do’ as God reveals His strategy to us!

Staking a Claim

“The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,

 the world, and all who live in it;”

Psalm 24:1

“Staking a claim” means to assert one’s ownership rights over something.

What do you lay claim too?

What, as believers, can we rightfully stake a claim too?

Perhaps it’s time to stop surrendering to the enemy what belongs to God!

Perhaps it’s time to stake a claim for your family, your city, town, nation and world.

After all He is Lord over all and we are His ambassadors.

We have flown the white flag for the last time.

Hurting people need to know that we come in His name to take back what the enemy has stolen.

Those in darkness need to know Him who is the Light of Life.

We can arise and shine knowing that our light has come.

And we can be those who allow our light to shine in the dark places that they will no longer be dark places but places redeemed and illuminated by the light of His love.

First, we must recognize that God has commissioned us to bring His Kingdom.

Listen to these words:

“and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Luke 9:2

Some would say that the time has passed on this, that it was a commission given for a season long past.

But Jesus continues to work in the earth – will you work alongside Him bringing the Kingdom?

Will you stake your claim for God?