7/1/18                                    Leave it There                                                        1 

“Humble yourselves…casting all your care upon Him.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

RECOMMENDED READING: I PETER 5:1-7 “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:² Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;³ Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.⁴ And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.⁵ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

COMMENTS:  Charles Tindley was born a slave in 1851 but was able to teach himself to read so he could read the bible.  After the Civil War, he moved to Philadelphia and worked as a church janitor until he eventually become a pastor.  He gave council to a Christian who came to him overwhelmed with worry.  He told him to imagine putting all his worries into a sack and hand it over to Christ and leave it there. He quoted I Peter 5:5-7 with that man and then went on to write a hymn, in 1916, that became popular in worship and still is.  The hymn is “Leave it there”.  Below are lyrics.  I invite you to look it up in your church hymnal and listen to it’s words and if possible sing it in worship too:

Verse 1]
If this world from you withhold of its silver and its gold
And you have to get along meagre fare, meagre fare
Just remember in his words how he feeds his little bird
Take your burden to the lord and leave it there

[Chorus]
Leave it there
Oh leave it there
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there, oh leave it there
If you’ll trust and never doubt, well he will surely bring you out
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there

[Verse 2]
If your body suffer pain and your health you can’t regain
And your soul is almost sinking in despair, well in despair
Jesus knows the pains you feel, he can save and he can heal[?]
Take your burden to the lord and leave it there

 

Reflect on times you have held onto your troubles and worries.  How well did that go?  I dare say not well.  It hasn’t gone well those times I held on to mine.  During those time, worry distracts me from being clear minded to resolve best way of addressing and fixing those problems causing me to worry.  Even worse, worry hampers my ability to seek God’s help and receive His council.   Worry brings doubt and doubt causes fear, which attacks and renders our faith weak and ineffective. 

In contrast, putting my worries in God’s hands and come to Him seeking council and help with my problems, brings opportunity for Him to provide the help I desperately need and strengthens my faith and confidence and relationship with Him.

Why is it seem so unnatural for us to come to Him first before we try to fix our own problems?  Why do we so desperately want to fix our own problems first and then come to Him for help when that doesn’t work?  Why not just come to Him first?  I’m still trying to do that but too often still find myself trying first.   Something inside me still wants to do it myself and just go to Him with the hard problems. 

Well, we need to keep remind ourselves God wants to be in relationship with us even more than He wants to fix our problems.  So, we need to want that relationship more to even so much as to look for reasons to come to Him so we can enjoy more time with Him.  The big thing we need to write on our minds and hearts and maybe on our    bathroom mirrors “CHRIST IS MISSING ME AND MY TIME WITH HIM”.   Also, maybe we should write Charles Tindley’s words on our mirror too “TAKE YOUR BURDEN TO THE LORD AND LEAVE IT THERE” AMEN?  AMEN!

 

“Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird / Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.”  Charles Tindley

 

7/2/18                                          Far Better                                                  2

Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Philippians 1:23

SCRIPTURE: PHILIPPIANS 1:21-26  “²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.²² But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.²³ For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:²⁴ Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.²⁵ And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;²⁶ That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.”

COMMENTS:  I am including a photograph of 4 paintings by Christian artist Thomas Cole when I publish this devotion in my blog.  These paintings are on display in Washington’s National Gallery of Art and represent 4 stages of life and called “The Voyage of Life”.  The first represents childhood, then youth, then manhood, and finally old age.   This painting depicts an old man in the boat with a guardian angel under dark threatening skies pierced by sunbeams.   Approaching death and confidence of heaven are evident in this painting.

We have confidence in the hope of an eternal home in heaven after life’s end.  However, life storms and dangers are very real and can easily stir fears and draw us from the safety of the boat and our companion (the Holy Spirit) present with every believer, everyone who prays repenting of their sins and received Christ’s death on the cross as God’s required payment for those sins past-present-future.  The risk of turning away from God is real but confidence that Christ’s sacrifice was and is sufficient and God has and is moving mountains to keep you faithful.  The Holy Spirit is His wonderful way of abiding in and giving us 24x7x365 fellowship and strength and help for us to sustain and grow in our faith and faithfulness and obedience.  Faithfulness in our walk and life journey

“Christians never say “good-bye”; just “until we meet again.””   Woodrow Kroll

7/3/18                                     Take Seven Times Daily                                     3  Seven times a day I praise you.  Psalm 119:164

Recommended Reading: PSALM 119:164-168 “¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.¹⁶⁵ Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.¹⁶⁶ Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.¹⁶⁷ My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.¹⁶⁸ I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.”

COMMENTS:  Retirement years are rich fulfilling years for me.  I find great joy in having and using my time writing and sharing these devotions.  I find no lack of things needing done or fixed each day, so my days are full.  My father often said of his retirement years, “I wonder how I found time to work before I retired.”   I’ve discovered that to be true as well, but I believe I know the answer to that mystery.  I’ve discovered it takes all day to do what I could do in evenings after work.  But now when evening comes, I’m too tired to do more.  So, end result is doing full time during day what I previously could do in evenings. 

Well, that may be true, but truth is it is a joy to serve Christ and a joy to be able to spend my days with family and neighbors and having the strength to do work needing done at home or church or volunteer work as working in local food pantry.  Having my wife and children and grandchildren near to spend time with also provides great joy and fulfillment.  But also blessing of writing and sharing these devotions and having them read and used in ministry not only in USA but in many other countries is such an amazing blessing and privilege God has handed to me as well.  If they bless others as much as I am blessed in writing them, then I’m sure God is pleased. 

Being thankful in bad as well as good circumstances is key to living a joyous Christian life.  It is also key in being able to sustain a life of faithfulness and obedience to Christ call.  But I, like you, am not able to sustain a faithful life without having the Holy Spirit in and guiding me every moment of every day.  But I too find myself becoming neglectful of Him and the time I need to spend each day with Him.  It is a mystery that I enjoy being with Him while it is so easy to neglect that time I enjoy with Him.  Yet even retired, I still have life’s distractions hindering my time with Him.  Yet we are called not to stop doing the tasks life demands each day, but to take Christ and His abiding Holy Spirit with us and fellowship with us as we do each day’s tasks.  We can do that but not without conscientiously keeping our minds on Him as we do that.  That takes practice and discipline but is very doable.  I’m still discovering and practicing this as well.

The chorus “Count your blessings, see what God has done” is an important concept and command for us to practice.  We tend to forget or take for granted all God does for us each day.  But He so deserves our thanks but also our time fellowshipping with Him.  Fellowship He desires of us and we desperately need from Him too.

Well, putting up notes to remind us to praise Him 7 times each day is a very good discipline or habit to start as a starting point.  He deserves our praise continually so 7 times each day is not too many! 

As I get older, I am discovering the challenge of being faithful to taking my medicine as prescribed.  One pill I need to take 3 times a day, another 4 times a day, and 3 others once a day.  A few years ago, I bragged of not needing to take any medicine, but that is no longer the case.  Yet, the challenge of remembering to take my medicine forces me to set alarms on my watch.   Putting up notes in places I regularly visit during day is another trick I have had to do.  So similar ways of remembering to praise Him regularly is doable too. 

I also have found praising Him a very good way to take my medicine too.  How about you?  What habits and regular duties do you do each day that could also be used to remind you to take time to praise Him at least 7 times each day.   I am going to reflect and work more on this goal.  How about you?  AMEN!

Life is a wonderfully precious gift God has given us.   We need to treasure that gift, enjoy that gift, and praise God who gives us life.  AMEN!

“If we are praising Him continuously we’ll discover just how difficult it is to keep on complaining.”.   Harold Adolph

 

7/4/18                                Father Figures:  Joseph                                        4  

Then Joseph, being aroued from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife Mary.  Matthew 1:24

Recommended Reading: I CORINTHIANS 13:4-7  “⁴ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,⁵ Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

 

COMMENTS:  As we reflect on I Corinthians 13, which is called the “love chapter”, we discover a condensed but rich passage devoted to loving each other as Christ intends and even designed for us to love.  To love as He loves us and exampled during His human life and crucifixion.  Paul gave great detail identifying many ways true love is demonstrated and expectation of how we are called to love.  But one thing is clear especially from this passage.   Love is a choice of our will instead of a feeling most think.  Love includes warm feelings toward those loved, but not always because they aren’t very loveable or don’t respond in kind.  Truth is we aren’t very lovable and only infrequently respond to Christ’s love in kind.  BUT THAT DOES NOT HINDER OR DIMINISH HIS LOVE FOR US!!  Granted we must accept His sacrifice and repent of our sins in order to enjoy the redemption and blessings He offers and is preparing for those who do.  But that doesn’t mean He loves those who do more or those who don’t less.  It doesn’t mean He will sustain His wonderful offer of redemption as long as He can so those who don’t accept it can have a much time to reconsider as possible. 

Joseph gets a little short changed in scripture.  Mary shares much with us after her angelic visit and when visiting her cousin Elizebeth.  But Joseph shares volumes of his character and love for God and for Mary simply by protecting her, not putting her away but marrying her after learninga she was with child.  To believe the story told her may have been more believable after his dream instructing him to take Mary for his wife and that her story was true.  But the pressure to do different because of judgment of family and community had to have weighed on him as well.  BUT HE CHOSE TO LOVE AND FOLLOW A PATH  WORTHY OF A SPECIAL PLACE IN HISTORY AND IN SCRIPTURE AND IN ETERNITY.

Well, if loving is a choice, then we can choose to love as He demonstrated and as Paul describes, which will bring us joy and love and also bring such to those we impact.  The other choice is to hold bitterness and anger against those who hurt or offend us, which brings death and sadness.   Our motivation to love is because it brings life, but even more because of His great sacrifice for us and because He commands us to. 

First, we need to focus on and love Him.  He so deserves our love and devotion and fellowship.  Then loving others become a whole lot easier and possible.  We may still not want to but that will change as we draw closer to Christ.  So, bottom line is love because He loves us and let our trust in Him give us confidence and assurance until evidence is seen.  Until then, it will be will over fillings and faith over circumstances.  He gives us countless examples of those who loved and those who didn’t along with their struggles but the final outcome, so we should not be surprised.   Good may take much longer than we would like but good is His promise to those who are faithful to Him.  

I’m sure many or most of you are thinking that is easy for me to say.  Well I struggle with loving too often too.  Indifference and half hearting demonstrating Christ’s love is my norm too.  But I am working on improving by seeking a deeper walk and surrender to His Holy Spirit.   I encourage you to do the same.  We all have an infinitely long way to go to be Christ-like. We can improve very significantly and will as we grow closer, but we all will remain short of His mark while on earth.  That means we all are unworthy and saved only by His Grace and not by our merits or good deeds.  That is way it must be.  We are all at one level at the foot of the cross and only He has bragging rights.  No one else dare boast of their goodness because it still falls infinitely short of Christ’s example and God’s requirement.  Even Billy Graham.   But with Christ’s blood redeeming us, God sees us through His righteousness instead of our own.   Such good news. So, showing love to others is a small sacrifice, right?  Right!!

So, remember that the next time a spouse neglects or a child disobeys or worse or a co-worker or boss hurts or causes injustice to you.  Remember who you follow and what He has done for you and be glad for being trusted to example His love as uneasy as the task is.  A kind work while being first and keeping others accountable may indeed be the balance and path God will use to change others but also to change us. 

Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”                  (1 Corinthians 13:7).

“We are called upon to reflect the love of God as much in trial as in tranquility.”                   John Blanchard

7/5/18                                       What would it be like?                                                      5

God is love.  1 John 4:8

Recommended Reading: I John 4:7-11 “⁷ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.⁹ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.¹⁰ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

COMMENTS:   Scripture teaches love is a choice before it is a genuine feeling.  We can’t trust our feelings especially when it comes to loving relationships.   If we depend on feelings to dictate who we will be in relationship with, we will most likely be disappointed.  Our feelings will betray us most of the time, but that doesn’t mean our emotions and feelings are always evil.  We simply can’t trust them nor make choices only based on feelings.  But then again, wise choices can and do influence and bring discipline to our feelings.  Well, the first and most important choice to love is to love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He is the only worthy choice to worship and obey but also the first and only worth choice to give our love to.  So, love is a choice.  A choice to be vulnerable and to be in close relationship with.  A choice to trust and share personal thoughts and dreams with.

When we focus on loving Christ first, then loving each other and family and spouse become more natural and easier.  When we love Christ first and allow our love for others to be filtered through our love for Him, we discover a much higher and purer capacity to love others and also find ourselves becoming more loveable too. 

I see that change in my own life and in the lives of my wife and children and many in our church and community.   But, of course, I still see that love falling short of being “Christ like”, especially in me.   That is because they and I are still influences by satan’s temptations and human weaknesses.  That will be true all our lives, but that doesn’t mean we still can improve a great deal more while still alive.  The process of improving is achieved by being in daily relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit.  We tend to settle for much less or become blinded to our own faults and shortcomings, so need to seek and trust the Holy Spirit’s council and appraisal and instruction instead of our own perspective.    Pride is the worst obstacle to living a Christ-like life and loving as He loves.  But then again, pride starts as a feeling that influences our thoughts so we can’t trust it either.  When we look at the lives of those destroyed by pride in scripture, the list is long.  How many wars and broken families and tragic deaths and scared lives are a result of pride?   I dare say all of them.  But then again, Lucifer became satan due to pride and has been responsible for brings pride and all temptations to sin due to pride in his own heart and vulnerability to pride in the hearts of humans from and in every generation since Adam.  So, pride is the source or root of all sin and still is.  Denying or ignoring sin or sinful pride doesn’t make it go away, but only makes it more powerful and dangerous.

So, we are no match to satan’s prideful temptations.  Our minds and our emotions are no match, but THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MORE THAN STRONG ENOUGH AND IS AVAILABLE TO ALL.

Pride and love are incompatible, or at least love as Christ defines and displays.  That is love as we were designed to experience and share. Love that creates and brings life and not death or destruction.  Love that forgives instead of judges or condemns.  Love that encourages and works to improve the lives of those we love instead of giving them things and resources that brings harm to them.

“It would not take twenty-four hours to make the world come to God, if you can only make them believe God is love. If you can really make a man believe you love him, you have won him; and if I could only make people really believe that God loves them, what a rush we would see for the kingdom of God!”       D.L.Moody

 

“If I thought I could only make the world believe that God is love, I would only take that text and go up and down the earth, trying to counteract what Satan has been telling them.”  D. L. Moody

7/6/18                                    By Name                                                  6

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.

Isaiah 43:1

Recommended Reading: ISAIAH 43:1-7 “ But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.² When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.³ For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.⁴ Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.⁵ Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;⁶ I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;⁷ Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

COMMENTS:  Our name is important to us. Our name identifies who we are, that we have value and are unique, that we are connected to family and gain meaning through our connection with family.   Orphans or children in abuse families are drawn to gangs or other groups to find that connection.      Have you met someone with your name?   It is one thing to know people with your first name but is noteworthy to meet those with have your full name.   You immediately look for similarities and differences in appearance and in character and conduct and finally differences and similarities in background.   Unfortunately, our human nature will likely not rest until we then judge if we are better than they in accomplishments or status or even character. 

Well, when we accept Chris t, we are part of His family with His name “Christian” added to our name.  He shows and teaches us that accepting His name gives us great value and great privilege.  But also, great responsibility.  He tells us that He requires much from those who have been given much.  That certainly applies to material things and finances and power and influence.  Poor often convince themselves the responsibility of tithing lies with the rich since they have resources the poor doesn’t and can be generous and make a greater difference out of their abundance.  They also convince themselves their modest tithe will make little or no difference and that their needs exceed what income they have.

But what does Jesus teach and scripture teach?   Tithe was an Old Testament obligation expected of Jew and converted Jew.  The New Testament covenant does not free the Christian of the law of the Old Testament but gives the freedom of giving based on gratitude for what Jesus provides instead of out of obligation.  Love always motivates greater kindness than commands dictate.  Gratitude always motivates greater giving than paying tithe or taxes of obligation require. 

Jesus’ example of the widow giving her mite shows us giving to God even the smallest amount is of greater value and importance to Him than the large gifts of a rich man.  Why?  Because sacrificial gifts motivated out of love and gratitude carry more impact than large gifts with little sacrifice or love. God uses those mites of poor to do miracles of eternal impact by inspiring others to do the same.  He often grows those small gifts into larger resources than the gifts of the rich. 

Scripture tells us God loves and blesses the cheerful giver.  He blesses them by letting them partner in the eternal work and fruit their gift supports. 

In heaven seeing the impact those before us had on us and showing gratitude to them will be a rich time of celebration.  But then again, seeing how God used our acts of kindness on those who come after us will make us rejoice too.  Yet we are told we will all lay any crowns given us at His feet.   His Name and His Presence will receive all worship and praise and awe filled adoration.

Meeting our ancestors and hearing their stories, meeting the greats of the old testament like Daniel and David and Joseph and Noah and Jonah and Job and Esther and Ruth and …. The list goes on.  Then the greats of the New Testament like Peter and Paul and Luke and Matthew and Mary & Joseph and Timothy and Mark and ….  The list goes on.  Then the greats in centuries since like Martin Luther and John & Charles Wesley and Billy Sunday and DL Mooney and Billy Graham.   How about the patriarchs and matriarchs of our own personal families?   We will need eternity to work our way through the long list discovering how their lives impacted ours and brought us closer to accepting Christ.  To discover how God designed and orchestrated all their lives so you and I could hear about and know Christ’s redemption too will be an awesome discovery.  Take time to let this concept soak into your soul and be thankful.  Your story and impact of your life and mine is still being written and impact of those before us is still aiding in writing that story.  But He is returning soon to take us home.  Some of us have lived more years than left and some are just in infancy of their lives.   Age is making me discover what elderly before me said.  Life is brief and passes so quickly.  It certainly does for me especially since retiring.  Writing this journal and experiencing fellowship with the Holy Spirit as I write this journal has become a rich and joyful experience.  I have to confess it is still tempting to put it off some days so can finish some pressing work or duties, but the habit and joy of writing and fellowship makes it easier to resist that temptation.  I encourage you to find the way God is calling you into fellowship each day too.  We all are called to study His Word and pray and ponder with Him each day.  Some of you may also be called to write and share like me too.  Don’t miss that blessing even if just for yourself and possibly sharing with your family.  When I started this journey, I didn’t expect it to spread beyond my own wife and children.  It would have been worth it and blessing enough if that only would have been the result.  A legacy to minister to them with words living beyond me would be blessing and of enough importance.  AMEN?  AMEN!!  What is your name?  My name is CHRISTIAN!!

“In the Bible, God reveals himself by various names, mostly related to his ability to meet the needs of his people.”  Tony Evans

7/7/18                                                              Small Space                                    7    

The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.

Isaiah 60:19

Recommended Reading: PSALM 94:  “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.² Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.³ Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?⁴ How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?⁵ They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.⁶ They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.⁷ Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.⁸ Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?⁹ He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?¹⁰ He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?¹¹ The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.¹² Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;¹³ That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.¹⁴ For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.¹⁵ But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?¹⁷ Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.¹⁸ When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.¹⁹ In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.²⁰ Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?²¹ They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.²² But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.²³ And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.”

 

COMMENTS:  You and I have a wonderful privilege and blessing available to us.  The promise of eternal life with Him in heaven where He continues to prepare a home for us.  The promise of never leaving or forsaking us.   The promise of new eternal bodies that will not age.  The promise of His abiding spirit to council and guide and strength and protect us while on earth 24x7x365.   All required of us in order to receive these promises is to receive His free gift of salvation.  And then again, how about the amazing blessing of prayer to communicate with Him anywhere, anytime, and all the time without delay or appointment. 

But our natures are to take for granted God’s blessings because they are so consistent and unfailing.   But is a miracle any less a miracle if it is experienced every day.  The sun coming up or a gentle rain or the plants that give us nourishment, beauty or oxygen to sustain us?    Not if we think God is far away or never around, we simply aren’t looking.  He is everywhere, even in the midst of storms and hardships to help and guide and strengthen us.

He uses those hardships to strengthen us and draw us closer to Himself.  He provides prosperity to enjoy but also to share with others in need.  His goal is to be in closer relationship with us and us with each other.  Joni Eareckson Tada has enduring much pain with the handicap of being paralyzed and enduring cancer.  Her accident may have happened from her own foolish choice as a teenager to dive into shallow waters without checking depth first.  But the depth of her faithfulness and relationship with God is an example for each of us.  Notice and let her words below sink deep into your soul and thank God for their truth.  This hope is her’s as well.   A new body is definitely something she is hoping for and confidently expecting, while being faithful and using her handicap to reach countless millions for Christ in the meantime.

“No other religion, no other, promises new bodies, hearts, and minds. Only in the gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope.”    Joni Eareckson Tada

 

7/8/18                                                Hidden Dimensions                          8                   

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 31:24

Recommended Reading: ROMANS 3:21-26  “²¹ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;²² Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

COMMENTS: We have spoken often of importance of a personal relationship with God both for us and for Him.  By receiving Christ as our Savior, we gain not only a personal relationship with Him, but with the Father and with the Holy Spirit.  We separate them because each is revealed to us in different ways and purposes, but they are all bonded together as one God. They think and react alike and are constantly in communication with each other.  You and I can’t understand such a concept, which only confirms God is not a creation of man’s imagination as other religions.  We have the only God who can be comprehended but can be reached.  No other religion reveals a God of such love or a god who sacrificed for his creation.  Every other god has limits and flaws because he was created out of the imagination of flawed humans.  We can’t understand God nor can we understand His ways and timing.  Some things we pray for we can know are also His will and be confident He will answer yes.  But even then, He may answer “wait” or “not yet” or “Soon” or “later”.  The reasons elude us but because we can not understand how our prayers interact and affect others and their prayers us.  We can imagine how answering our prayers will impact others nor what preparations He must do in the lives of others first before granting our requests. 

Requests like salvation for our loved ones or being a witness to our family and neighbors or co-workers is His Will.  Healing diseases and injuries and illness is His desire but since He knows the impact of healing or delayed healing, He very well may withhold healing in order to persuade or bring greater blessing.  How often has hardship drawn us closer to Him out of desperation or necessity.   How often has good times or peaceful times causes us to forget Him and allow other duties or tasks or people to distract us from needed time with Him.

Well, maybe we can’t fully understand Him, but we can love and trust Him.  We can know Him thru the recorded life and conduct of Christ in scripture.  We can know Him thru the indwelling Holy Spirit revealing to us His attributes and desires.  We can know Him thru His creation and relationship in creation like family and love of a parent for a child.  The evil corruption in creation is very evident but God goodness is still very evident too and serves to draw us closer to Him.  We should not blame Him for evil.  We need to blame the real culprit, satan and his demons.  You may have said God could have prevented it but consider importance God puts on free will for His creation.  Satan had a choice to follow God or rebel.  God allowed satan to tempt the angels in heaven and 1/3 chose to follow satan.  We all have such choices to follow satan and make evil stronger in the world or follow Christ and be at war with satan.

He assures us He will return one day and stop satan and bring His kingdom, which rules in heaven, to earth.  On that day, evil will be removed from earth and life here will be as God intended and not as satan corrupts.

We serve an awesome God.  He is so worthy of our praise and worship.  He is so worthy of our devotion and obedience. He gives us far more than He asks of us, and even what He asks of us brings us joy and life. God brings joy and peace and love and life.  Be encouraged, present circumstances fool us into thinking bad times will last forever.  GOD  WILL PREVAIL AND  WE HAVE A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE – A FUTURE WITH HIM – A FUTURE THAT WILL NEVER  END!!   It doesn’t get any better than that even if we only face misery while on earth.  But misery is generally brief and followed by peace for a time until next time of trial.  Don’t be discouraged, you are not alone.  Others face hardship too, but even more.  God is always with those who seek Him and let Him abide in them.  Look around at those who know this to be true. Notice how well they deal with hardship and conduct  their lives.  They are not special, they are just walking closer with One who is Very Special!!

“Our salvation is fastened with God’s own hand, and with Christ’s own strength, to the strong stake of God’s unchangeable nature.”   Samuel Rutherford

7/9/18                                                 Presentation                                           9   

So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And [the king] said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

2 Kings 1:8

 

In many ways, appearance has become a dominant factor in our age. Cosmetic surgery, various physical activities to become thinner, starvation diets, the latest clothes and cars. And smartphones haven’t helped—selfies have become a compulsive way for some people to show themselves to the world.

Recommended Reading  I SAMUEL 16:7  “⁷ But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

COMMENTS:   Aren’t you glad God doesn’t look at our physical appearance the way we and others often do?  We tend to admire those who are young, attractive, and strong.  We tend to think they are the most gifted and worthy of our respect and models we want to follow.  Teens and pre-teens are especially prone to do this. 

But what does God look at and respect.  Well, Elijah was hairy and likely looked like a “mountain man”.  John the Baptist was likewise rough looking.  Paul was a short unattractive man, the opposite we would envision.  David was young and small and weak looking when God called Samuel to seek him out to anoint him as the next king.  In contrast the people chose Saul before him, a man of respectable strength and height who looked like we would envision a strong king. 

But God’s choice is different because He looks at the soul knowing what each is like and how close to God each are or will be willing to get.  Truth is the most obedient and powerful Christians are generally those with greater needs and hardship.  Those who have already leaned to depend on Him as their best and greatest source of help and guidance and strength.  Learning this isn’t unheard of but less common with those with many great gifts and talents and physical attributes than with those who don’t.  Truth is most of them become satisfied relying on their own abilities and less dependent on God’s help.   That is a dangerous and ultimately a regretful   place to live.  Learning to depend on Him even when challenge appears to be easy to achieve only brings more praise and honor and worship to Him and prepares us to quickly have a strong connection to Him we can easily make when we have real needs that require His help.  A strong daily relationship with God – a personal daily communion with Christ and a constant sense and communication and relationship with His abiding Holy Spirit goes far in keeping Satan at bay and our spiritual ears and eyes and mind sharp and on Him.  

This Is our goal.  Achieving this goal is a lifetime challenge and journey.   Hopefully we make progress each day and noteworthy progress each year.  So over time we will notice improvement in our character and conduct and even thoughts and motives.  Becoming Christ-like will not be fully achieved in this life, but we can and need to make significant progress and will if we keep our eyes and focus on Him. That is my goal and pray is or will be yours as well.  We have countless examples of those in scripture who did and plenty over the centuries of history, and many even in our range of contact to encourage us to do so too.   The benefits are eternal but the consequences of not may very well be as well.  Failures may be setbacks, but God doesn’t leave us in a lurch when we fall.  He is well aware and understanding, so He is prepared and ready to pick us up and set us back on the course. Satan is determined to keep us from achieving that goal, but Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit are even more determine to help us get to that Goal.  God reveals Himself to us as the Father so we understand His power and authority, as Christ so we understand and can accept His redemption and forgiveness and His Love, and as the Holy Spirit so we can accept and enjoy His abiding presence and help each day all the time.  We fail when we take our eyes off Him.  We are strong and far better prepared for life and       challenges of life when we have our eyes on Him.  AMEN?  AMEN!   

“Some flowers must be broken or bruised before they emit any fragrance.”

Robert Murray M’Cheyne

7/10/18                   Unlikely Likeables: David the Young                       10       

Recommended Reading: I TIMOTHY 4:12 “¹² Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

COMMENTS:  Yesterday we looked at the differences between physical attributes we tend to admire and the attributes God values and admires.  We may admire and envy youth but tend to lack confidence and trust in leadership and ministry and joy skill abilities due to lack of experience.  We tend to admire and seek out advice from “grey haired” seniors more than from teens or young adults for this reason.  Well, truth is experience is a good teacher and value of seeking council from seniors is both encouraged by scripture and by life experience. But not all senior are wise nor have gained wisdom from a long relationship with God nor have learned wisdom from life experiences.  Truth is satan is just as good at deceiving and tempting seniors as with youth.  The nature of temptations may change but news reveals many of the same temptations of youth still can and do vex many seniors.

So, what does God see that we need to and who should we seek council from?  God saw something special in Timothy as a youth.  Timothy had learned wisdom for a mother and grandmother who were devout followers of Christ.  He too accepted Christ and was following the Holy Spirit’s council.  He didn’t have the life experiences of his grandmother but had her council and the Holy Spirit’s council and the council of many other faithful followers.  All this set him apart to be worthy of a greater level of responsibility and opportunity than most youth of his age were capable of.   Paul saw this and encouraged him to stretch his faith in obedience but not to be discouraged when others humiliated or disappointed him because of his youth and inexperience. 

Do you know any youth who stand out?  I do and know a few young and middle age couples that stand out as well.  God honors those who follow Him, but it is our job and focus to honor Him above all else.  Such can and should be the norm in every generation.  That is God’s goal and passion but requires each one of us to choose to follow His plan and hand to happen.  If it only happens rarely instead of with everyone, it is because most aren’t open to accept and follow Him.  It is not due to lack of desire or opportunity given by Him.

“He that was our Help from our birth, ought to be our Hope from our youth. “Matthew Henry

7/11/18                              School of Faith                                                 11     

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12

Recommended Reading: 1 KINGS 17:1-6  “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.² And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,³ Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.⁴ And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.⁵ So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.⁶ And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.”

COMMENTS: Reflect with me for a minute in the memories of our youth.  Do you remember a time you were corrected by a parent or teacher or coach or older brother or sister?   What were the circumstances?  How did you feel?  I bet most of those feelings come back strong and fresh.   I remember one Sunday evening I saw some kids sled riding on my hill.  My parents were devout Christians.  They didn’t allow me to sled ride with those kids.  My member says was because was Sunday but suspect real reason was because was getting dark.    I don’t remember how old I was but probably 5-6yr old.  I remember being embarrassed and feeling cheated at being deprived of some fun and freedom other kids were enjoying.  I can remember my mom telling me not to go out of our yard.   Well, I watched at the extreme corner of our yard but the temptation became too great.  I went to bottom of the alley to talk to some of the kids and look at their cool sleds and watch better how they managed to turn the sleds at the bottom of the steep alley onto the sidewalk to avoid going out onto the busy street.  I knew the danger of going out onto the street and knew that was the real reason why my mom didn’t want me to play with them.

I don’t know how long I was there but seems like a minute or two before my mom showed up and gave me a “painful whack on the bottom” and grabbed my arm tightly and marched me home.  I was so humiliated and angry but dared not say anything but I was sorry.  I don’t remember rest of the day or experience but am sure my parents didn’t dwell on it but am sure I stayed inside rest of the day.   I probably watched from my bedroom window upstairs or maybe my sister’s bedroom window since had a better view.  She was 8 years older so not sure if she allowed me that privilege that evening.

Emotions help us remember distant memories, don’t they?  But we need to work at making those childish emotions and memories not distort our emotions and conduct as adults.  If most of our memories of our parents are bad memories with bad emotions, they can definitely distort our opinions of our parents.   Fortunately, for me nearly all my memories of my parents are wonderful memories and their example as devout Christians serve to guide me even now in spite of the fact they both have been in heaven for many years.

What about God’s discipline?  I feel blessed and am grateful God has disciplined me mostly in private without humiliation like I felt that Sunday afternoon as a child. But fortunately, my heart has always been tender towards His correction so His correction has been quick and relatively gentle as I look back.  Poor choices and risk of dangerous consequences were felt quickly.   Maybe because I was slow and deliberate in making major live decisions and always involved and waiting for Him.  Maybe because I accepted Christ at age 10 and developed a close relationship with Christ early in my life.  But I was spared many regrets see in lives of many I know and many in my own family.  But some regrets involve not going or doing what God did nudge me to do and out of fear I said no.  Some choices I wish I’d made different involve financial investments.   I lost considerable amount of money on my retirement fund especially a number of years ago when I was tempted to make some speculative investments with some of those funds that started out doing very well and then, when the company I worked for went bankrupt, I lost a lot.  I shouldn’t have been so greedy and should have invested in much more conservative funds instead.   I made a similar mistake with my personal investment portfolio but fortunately a smaller amount but with same result.  Experience forced me to rely more on wiser investment advisors and follow their advice exclusively.  Years that followed restored all money lost and more.  But I’m sure if I’d continued the “get rich quick” mentality, I would have been tempted to risk more. Sound like gambling mentality.  God was teaching and preparing me for greater and more important things.  Satan was trying to tempt and distract me.  I can see it clearly now but was less clear then.

I needed to seek Christ’s forgiveness and move on wiser and more disciplined.  That is exactly what I did.  I’m sure glad I did.  Otherwise, I would not have been able to retire when I did and focus on this journal and sharing as I have.  Just an example and additional reminder how important it is to seek and follow God’s Will early and consistently.   We will fail and do ourselves and others great harm every time with Him, and satan is so skillful at helping us do that.  But Christ is gracious and merciful and quick to help and put us back on track to His Will, which is infinitely better.  After all, He knows best because He has already been in our future and the Holy Spirit is ready and eager to guide us there as He has so many faithful followers before us.  

So, if He corrects us now and gain to put or keep us on course, don’t get angry or filled with false pride.  Take the humiliation on the chin, repent, and let Him put you back on the right path.   We never go down the wrong road too far that it still is better to turn around and come back to the crossroad to the right road.

 AMEN?  AMEN!!

 

“God’s house of correction is his school of instruction. “Thomas Brooks

 

7/12/18                                    Just Enough Light                                     12      

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.      Psalm 119:105

Recommended Reading: II CORINTHIANS 5 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:³ If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.⁴ For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.⁵ Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.⁶ Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:⁷ (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)⁸ We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.⁹ Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.¹¹ Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.¹² For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.¹³ For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.¹⁴ For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:¹⁵ And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.¹⁶ Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.²¹ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

COMMENTS:  Some teaching in scripture appears to be straight forward and clear but the more we study and learn, the more complicated and confusing we make it.    Let’s take a dive into this scripture and see what we discover.  First of all, we realize our human bodies are God’s temple but one day we will reside in a perfect permanent body (temple) while in our perfect permanent home (heaven).  

We are still writing our legacy and making choices that will be judged.  This part is where we can easily be confused.  If we are forgiven by accepting Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, then what is the impact of our actions and conduct and thoughts being judged?  Can we do any and all evil we want without consequence?   Will the impact of doing good be realized by us be judged and realized by us as well?  What difference will it mean if we are already forgiven?  Let’s take a slow walk staying close to scripture so we will be careful to understand what scripture is saying and not speculate or draw conclusions beyond what scripture is saying.   That will likely mean we will have to leave some unanswered questions unanswered but that will be far better than making erroneous conclusions.

Verse 7 then tells us up front we live by faith.  That means living and acting in obedience to God trusting Him without fully understanding or comprehending fully where He is leading and without knowing obstacles and challenges that will be encountered and without understanding both the rewards and consequences of following or not following Him.  Faith means trusting God more than our own wills or emotions or thinking.    Realizing this helps us filter the following verses with clearer insight, so let’s stop and reflect so we get some direction first. 

We live in God’s temple, our bodies.  Our bodies are mortal, corrupted by personal sin and sin caused by satan’s temptation that Adam and Eve yielded to.  But how we use and honor God using our human bodies is how we worship and witness of Christ’s redemption and Divinity and Authority.  Our bodies were created by Him for us perfect even though corrupted by sin.  Proper worship requires seeking and following the Holy Spirit and recognizing Who we worship and how we worship Him must be guided by the Holy Spirit and judged against scripture.  Stop and think He accepts our imperfect Worship from an imperfect body and mind but filtered through Christ as perfect and acceptable.  THAT IS AWESOME AND PRICELESS.  WE SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT.  OUR WOSHIP IS WHAT HE DESIRES AND WHAT WE DESPERATELY NEED TO GIVE.  By calling for worship from His temple and identify our bodies as His temple, He is telling us it is acceptable for us to worship Him anytime and anyplace since we reside in our bodies all the time.  That also means, we need to be careful because we dishonor Him when we sin and neglect and fail to worship Him in our bodies.   Going to church to worship Him is called for in scripture.  To gather together as believers to unite in worship together was done often with the early Christians.  They didn’t have a devoted building so they worshipped where they could.   So, this scripture is also telling us He doesn’t require a devoted building to worship in but does require us to worship Him both alone and together.   We build churches for a number of good reasons.  To give a place removed from the world’s distractions to aid in worship.  To give a place visible place for seekers to come to join with other believers.  To provide a place to aid and minister in a variety of ways.   But effective worship and ministry are not limited to inside the walls of the church building nor should they.

I often think congregations are eager to spend large sums of money to build a magnificent building because church strength can afford to and anticipation of continued growth for sees the need for such, but often achievement of such results in stagnation and diminish of vision and numbers, resulting in   building becoming a financial burden instead of blessing.

The first century model may likely be the best and closest to God’s direction. I tend to think the money put into impressive structures could go far spreading the Gospel and ministry to poor and needy.   Yet, I am reminded Christ criticizing Judas for complaining when the harlot washed Jesus feet with expensive perfume instead of selling that perfume and giving money to the poor.    So even building a large church can be blessed by God if the Holy Spirit approves plan and timing.  Knowing God’s Will is essential but knowing God’s timing is equally essential.  Neither dare be presumed.  Well, worship (both alone and corporately) prepares us to receive God’s instruction and timing.                                       We can debate different good deeds and evil deeds make on us in heaven.   God’s grace is sufficient to forgive our sins, but we are warned not to deliberately continue in sin thinking God will continue to give us grace and forgiveness after salvation is first granted.  “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?² God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”  ROMANS 6:1-2.

Is there a point of deliberate sinning when we will forfeit our salvation and heaven, and face God’s judgment?  Some would say no, either by lacking sincere repentance or never repenting.   Others would say such a forfeit is not accidental or even out of neglect but only by deliberately and persistently turning from God’s nudge and warnings., like the Israelites would turn from God and to idols and pagan since and refusing to repent and worship God.  Even some would say salvation can be lost by neglect, like King Saul or King David for a time after his sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah.  

My position is, it is folly to debate this.  I see it like a group of blind men near the edge of a cliff debating where the edge is and slowing stepping in that direction to prove the other is wrong.  Reality is why not get as far away from the edge we can and focus on curing our blindness so no need to worry about that edge.  Is that not what is more important and what the above scripture is telling us. Why would we receive such a wonderful priceless gift of an eternal body and home in heaven and repay our Lord by continuing our old sinful life?   Why would we not want to share His Good News and strive to live as He lived.  Good deeds are not a requirement to enter heaven but they will serve to bring our Lord joy and give us the sense of fulfillment knowing someone is there because we invited him.   Scripture tells us our good deeds will earn us a crown but we will then lay those crowns in honor and worship at Jesus’ feet to honor Him.   What if we have no crowns to give Him.  Would that be worth continuing in sin while on earth?  I am certain not! 

Do you need light on your path? Turn to God’s Word for light enough to take the next step.

“Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.” V. Raymond Edman

7/13/18                                          God Makes a Way                                     13        You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip.  Psalm 18:36

Recommended Reading: I King 17:8-16  “⁸ And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,⁹ Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.¹¹ And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.¹² And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.¹³ And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.¹⁴ For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.¹⁵ And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.¹⁶ And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.”

COMMENTS: Today’s devotion and scripture is an important teaching point for Christians, both wealthy and very poor.  Also a teaching point for preachers and evangelists who struggle asking for financial help from empoverished church people.

I certainly know and understand pastors being reluctant to preach and teach stewartship.  Doing so isn’t popular to hear nor easy in good conscience to preach, especially in very poor communities.  But as we take a deep dive into today’s scripture we see God revealing a much different perspective and opportunity.

Can you imagine Elijah’s struggle when God told him to ask a widow to get him water and some bread.  Everyone knew widows were poor and had to depend on others to survive  because of lack of a husband to provide for them.  When he saw the state of her condition and she told him she was intending to use the meal to make one last meal for herself and her son before dying of starvation, can you imagine how he would feel.  You and I wouldn’t be able to help say, “don’t bother, I’ll try to get you some help”.   But that is not what God wanted or commanded him to do.  I get a chill up my back in excitement as I read and reflect on how God provided for Elijah and for the widow and her son.  God not only provided but notice the way He provided.  Also notice her son still died but that wasn’t the end of the story.  Notice how God honored and rewarded Elijah’s faith and obedience but also the faith and obedience of that widow.

Now consider the impact of that experience on that community and countless millions since who read about that story.  I dare say that story has been repeated countless times over the years and generations as others exercised such faith.  So, before we begin study of this story, stop and  reflect on personal examples of God’s provide to faithful obedience.

Elijah was unprepared to make journey to Zarephath but God told him to find a poor  widow there and let her provide for him.   God also told him that the widow has been instructed to do so.  Neither knew how God would provide.  I think if interesting the widow’s initial comment to Elijah showed her desperation.  But she was to discover God’s instruction was not finished with limited to a miracle of providing food for her family and Elijah as needed as it was.  She did not realize obedience to God would provide opportunity for Elijah to be the instrument to raise her son from the dead.  She had reconciled herself to dying with her son but she wasn’t prepared to see her son die when she lived. 

But God knew and had her in His loving hands.  Both she and Elijah were about to learn a valuable lesson of benefits of obeying God together. God sustained herself, Elijah, and her son for a year from the oil in that small bottle.  Until the land could once again sustain them again.   God also restored her lifeless son’s body.  Faith means choosing not to let fear persuade us to hide or run.  Faith means trusting God and believing in Him more than trusting our own abilities or our own wisdom.  Faith means obeying Him and keeping our hand in His when our hands are full of our own work and life demands.  Learning to let go of ourselves and grabbing tighter on Him.  That is also faith.

We never know what God will let us face but we know God is faithful and will prepare and enable us if we simply follow His direction.  

“Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. “  V. Raymond Edman

 

7/14/18                                               Choosing God                                     14   

And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.  1 Kings 18:21

Recommended Reading: JOSHUA 24:14-15  ^“14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.¹⁵ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

COMMENTS: Pastors and Sunday School Teachers and Church Youth Workers and even Parents and Grandparents have a huge responsibility and powerful influence on children and youth and young adults and ultimately the future of a country and beyond.  You likely have or are wearing one or maybe all these hats one time or another.   If you take your responsibility seriously, I’m sure you have felt joy as well as deep discouragement.  I know I have.  As I reflect on the years Arlene and I served as children’s and youth leaders at our church and struggles raising our two children, we too faced joy and fulfillment but also discouragements wondering if we were making any difference.   There were times the work was overwhelming and times we didn’t seem to have anything of interest to offer.  Then there were times when one would respond to Christ, making it all worthwhile.  But there were also times we would feel alone and empty but continued out of obligation and maybe even habit since didn’t know what else to do.  Have you gone through this cycle of highs and lows or even mostly lows?

As parents, we went through this same cycle too.  As our children grew and began stretching their independence muscles and exploring new freedoms and interests and relationships, that too became a time of joys and anxiety and disappointment too.   I often wonder why lawyers and doctors and engineers “practice” their professions charging large fees to do their work while workers and tradesmen and mothers and fathers labor at their jobs and duties?   I know, it is a play on works, but sounds like professionals practice while workers do.  Well, parenting is mostly trial and error, practicing parenting while doing it, right?   Parents drive themselves crazy trying to love and guide their children to become moral, decent, responsible, hard working adults.  Then to see their children resist, ignore, defy, forget those lessons and even their parent’s love.  But then again, today it is also all too common to see parents abandon their children or run away overwhelmed and unprepared or not up to the responsibility of raising their children, leaving grandparents or distant relatives, or even strangers and government agencies to raise their children.

God designed and prepared the family to be the unit He would use to populate and be in relationship with human beings in the world.  Adam and Eve became the parents and ancestors of everyone who has lived from their beginning until now.  The impact of their choices and those after them has rippled down through the centuries impacting each generation down to us and our children and grandchildren.  Their choice to sin opened the floodgates for us all to be so tempted and sin.  The bible is full of stories of how God impacted and redeemed families, parents and children – fathers and mothers – children and teens and young adults – old men and women – impoverished people and slaves – powerful kinds and queens.  Blessing those who followed Him and obeyed Him and bringing judgment on those who didn’t.

As I reflect and encourage you to reflect, what conclusions do we need to come to?  You and I don’t have a clue how to raise our families or effectively fulfill the responsibilities we are called to do.  We tend to either run and hide or hand off to others what we don’t want to do or feel unprepared to do. Those who do soon realize they need help.  Past generations more commonly had a network of grandparents and other relatives and a close connection to a church family and community to help.  Such is fortunately still visible but unfortunately less common today.  Why?  I believe it is because of parents and grandparents living without a relationship with Christ in their lives, rejecting the faith of their parents and grandparents.  Seeing the consequence of that rebellion in their children and grandchildren reveals significant consequences felt by society and well as by communities and even by surrounding families.  Such opens doors to evil and great hardship by the innocent and guilty alike.  

Such has been true even in bible times and today’s scripture reveals a “line in the sand” Joshua drew when preparing to lead the Israelites into their promised land.  They had to choose if they would worship and obey God or continue to follow the world’s pagan gods.  They knew the consequences of not following God but still were not fully committed to Him.  Joshua realized he could not make their choice for them.  All he could do is choose for himself.  To commit to lead his own family and other families willing to do so too.

Truth is, we can’t speak for or decide for others either, including our children and grandchildren either.  That is both freeing and disconcerting.  We have the responsibility of raising and teaching and guiding our children into a saving knowledge and relationship with our Creator – Lord – Savior.  But we must release them to choose for themselves.  As they grow and build families of their own, they must choose for themselves – either wisely or foolishly.  We can and need to be like the prodigal father – pray for and wait for and be available for them.  We need to encourage and support and be available.  Beyond that, releasing our children, our grandchildren into Christ’s care and loving arms, who loves and cares and desires them even more than we do.  Accepting responsibility means both embracing the duties and work we can do, but also letting go of what we can’t do or control.  That is freeing.  Freeing from frustration and regrets and worry but also freeing from a lot of burden we put on ourselves.  We also tend to make our burdens heavier than God intends for us.  We pick up burden He intends to carry for us if we allow Him in to carry it and be our partner in ministry and life He desires and intends to be. 

Choosing God means choosing Christ thru the door of a personal daily fellowship the Holy Spirit is available 24x7x365 to guide and lead us into. 

Letting go isn’t easy for any parent or grandparent and I’m still struggling in doing that, but age and experience and seeing how my two children have and are blossoming in faith and life gives me much reassurance and confidence Christ is faithful and I can be at peace trusting Him for greater things.   After all, if we can trust Him with our soul and eternal home, why would it be harder to trust Him with our souls of our children and all we care about and love?  It shouldn’t but seems to be harder. If you struggle with doubt or worry, pray with me seeking His help and insight and direction. After all, He knows and understands our worries because He knows we can’t see beyond present problems and concerns.  BUT HE SEES AND KNOWS THE FUTURE AND IS READY AND EAGER TO GUIDE US THERE IF WE ONLY TRUST HIM AND TAKE HIS HAND.  TAKE HIS HAND AND KEEP OUR HAND IN HIS!!  

“The essence of faith lies in the heart’s choice of Christ.”  Charles H. Spurgeon

 

7/15/18                                              Generosity                                 15     

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

Recommended Reading: PHILIPPIANS 4:10-19 “¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.¹¹ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.¹² I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.¹⁴ Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.¹⁵ Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.¹⁶ For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.¹⁷ Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.¹⁸ But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.¹⁹ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

COMMENTS: I’ve ready a good number of research studies that all say the same thing.  Poor or low-income people contribute both a greater % of their income and a large total of donations to non-profit ministries and charity work and organizations.   Even middle-income people approach the % given by low-income.  We notice donations by wealthy because their donations are much larger and seem to be of greater impact, but truth is their donations tend to be pocket change in comparison to their resources and of much less impact to their life style than donations of low or middle-income contributors.  Those studies reveal an average donation to charity of 3% of their income to charity vs. 1% for wealthy or high-income contributors.  The more we acquire, the more selfish and less willing to part with it.  Other truth Is, as we accumulate more possessions, those possessions require more time and money to maintain and keep them usable.  How many second homes are acquired as a haven for rest and restoration but end up being a source of added financial burden and drain of income.  Result is often wealthy become less able to give than their poorer counterparts who live more modestly.

Jesus was aware of this and even revealed that God placed far greater value on the smallest gift of a poor widow “the widow’s mite”, who gave all she had as compared to the wealthy man who gave a very large amount out of his bounty with little or no sacrifice.   See Luke 21:1-4 “And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.² And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.³ And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:⁴ For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”

Jesus praised people who give sacrificially instead of giving out of their abundance (Mark 12:41-44). Paul praised the Macedonian churches who gave out of their poverty to help the church in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:1-4).

Scripture tells us God requires much from those He gives much and little from those He gives little.   The parable of the talents Jesus taught (Matthew 25:14-30) tells us such.  We tend to take it to mean talents or gifts like preaching or playing an instrument or other special abilities or talents.  But parable refers all resources God gives us, including time and money and health and physical strength.  It also included degree of faith and spiritual strength and insights. 

But truth is great wealth can be a blessing and instrument by which God enables certain people the power to do great good.   Some have, but majority end up using such for their own selfish purposes and giving to charity and ministry far below what God’s expectations and requires.   Wealthy people are more tempted to rely on themselves instead of God. But when someone of wealth and power surrenders fully to God’s will, their lives and impact are felt greatly.  Wealth can become a curse instead of the blessing God intends.  Yet, many have received great wealth not in money but in family and children and health and ability to work and in friends and loved ones and …. List goes on.  But since they don’t also have financial security, they fail to see and praise God for their blessings and fail to give or tithe the resource of wealth they do have.

The widow who gave all she had was rich in faith and fellowship with God, which motivated her to give.  God desires that of His Church, you and me.  He desires to provide for us physically but also to reward us in kind for what we do give so we will be empowered to give more.

The widow’s mite and similar examples have resulted in great good that transcends generations and still does.  I forget the details but am reminded of an orphanage started with a small coin given by a child, which spurred many adults to contribute and even some wealthy businessman.  Or the little boy dying of cancer who started a small lemonade stand to raise money for cancer research.  He personally raised $200 but spurred other children and adults to join in and have raised many millions of dollars.  That little boy lived to see that accomplished and died short of being able to receive a cure from that research.  However, his death was not in vain.  Many boys and girls have been cured by the money raised thus far but his legacy continues.

What we do and give to Christ is never in vane nor lost.  Giving is an act of worship but also an act of faith and love.   Scripture tells us “give and it will be given to us back in abundance” Give not to receive but give with hope God will entrust us with more so we can give more and not to consume more.  Giving is God’s way of allowing us to invest in His Work and enjoy profit and growth from that investment.  He doesn’t need our money, but we need that return on investment.  We can’t get it without making the investment.  AMEN?  AMEN!

Giving sacrificially and generously is a way to grow faith. God can’t fill a hand that has a tight grasp on money. God moves money into and out of our open hands.

“The church treasurer counts what we give; God counts what we keep.”                      John Blanchard

7/16/18                               Remembering His Goodness                               16    

So [the widow] said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”

1 Kings 17:18

RECOMMENDED READING:  PSALM 13:1-6  “⁶ How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? forever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?² How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;⁴ Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.⁵ But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.⁶ I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”

COMMENTS:  We say and believe God’s timing is perfect, but does that seem so while enduring hardship or crisis?  Not usually.   God seems to come to our rescue way too late, doesn’t He?  Well, we are not alone.   David shared the same anxiety in Psalm 22:1 and even Christ felt that same sense of aloneness when repeated David’s words on the cross (Matthew 27:46).  Yet, Christ demonstrate that same timing during His ministry.  He waited until Lazarus die and was buried for 3 days become coming and raising him from the dead.  Why did He wait? Why did He let David agonize awhile before coming to his aid?  Why did He let Daniel pray 21 days before the angel arrived to answer his prayers (Daniel 10)?  

As a parent don’t we delay response to our children’s requests.  Things they want are better earned instead of gifts.  Some things are best not given because of unseen consequences they can not comprehend.  Some things require delay for a better time.  A car shouldn’t be given to a 10-year-old or maybe even an 18-year-old.  Being responsible to use such a gift wisely requires wisdom in timing even though gift may be decided by giver.  So, what about gifts that have genuine and urgent need.  Well, just because we can’t see or understand reasons for delay.

What about the delay in healing the widow’s son until he was dead.  Elijah had taken from the widow her last meal in the face of starvation.  But God had provided for both Elijah and the widow and her son.  But now her son was dead, and she blamed Elijah for not providing another miracle.

We read the story in I kings 17 and don’t notice the length of time or delay as God prepares both Elijah and the widow for His answer.  Even Elijah didn’t understand God’s delay but knew God well enough to trust Him and follow His instruction preparing for His answer.  Do you know and trust Him while you wait?  Do I?  Well, the proof of our faith is during the wait.  The witness of our faith to others is during the wait. 

God’s answer maybe no or even not yet.  Seldom is it yes, right now.  When it is, we get exciting and so does everyone around us, but soon the excitement fades and so does our excitement and praise.  When we allow the wait to draw us closer to Him and open our ears and heats to receive His instruction and fellowship and His love while waiting, then when His answer and miracle comes, we enjoy it with Him instead of being like the 9 lepers who ran away in excitement when Jesus healed them.  Only one came back to thank Jesus.

Fellowship with us is a key aspect of God’s answer to our prayers.  Another big one is orchestrating an answer and timing that brings positive impact on others we know and likely others we have never met.  He not only knows the future but is already living there, so His is fully prepared with results of His answers.

After all, when we reflect on what will be most important 100 years in the future, what will be most important.  Then gage our requests and concerns against that perspective.  I dare say most of what we pray for has much less significance.  But some things do, and those things are what we need to put deeper focus and prayer into.   Agree?  Maybe we need to ask Him what we should pray for and ask Him to give us a desire and passion to seek those things above all else?  I think so, how about you?

I don’t mean we shouldn’t pray for healing.  Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead even though he would die again in a few years.  But we shouldn’t neglect more important concerns to seek more immediate hungers and needs.  Praying for healing of sickness should not diminish time spent praying for salvation for others and work God calls us to.  But, when we are sick, it is hard to think about anything else, right?  All we want is relief.  Well, I both understand and have been there often too.

Our error and sin develop when we allow our disappointment and desperation, or frustration draw us from Him instead of closer to Him.  When we draw closer to Him, He draws close to us and fellowship and healing and prayer really starts to blossom, and discovery begins to unfold for us.  David ran to God while hiding from King Saul in a cave. So, should we.  AMEN?  AMEN!

“The Lord’s goodness surrounds us at every moment. “R. W. Barbour

7/17/18                                      God and You                                              17                   Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.”  1 Kings 18:22

RECOMMENDED READING:  I KINGS 18:36-37“³⁶ And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.³⁷ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.”

COMMENTS:  When we think of the amazing experiences of prophets like Elijah, we tend to picture great faith and confidence.  Elijah had to walk great distances, which he did with almost superhuman strength and endurance. But the bible also shows the human side of His prophets.  Elijah experienced depression and desperation at time.  He felt he was alone and overwhelmed at times.  Yet his faith was strengthened as God empowered and nourished him.  His faith was fed when God fed him and the widow and her son in a miraculous way.  His faith was fed when God raised her son from the dead.  But now his faith was being tested again.  He would face 400 prophets of Baal alone.  So how did he gather the courage to face them alone.  Well, truth was he was not alone.  Only by having and keeping a continuous relationship with God was he able to see God’s hand on him and sense His presence going ahead and behind and alongside him.

It is never easy to walk in faith.  Keeping our mind and eyes on Jesus is vital but neve easy.  Peter got distracted when he got out of the boat and walked on water towards Jesus.  Elijah got overwhelmed when realized he was facing 400 pagan prophets alone.  Fear and doubt is a natural human reaction.  Everything in us shouts save yourself, you can’t win.  There is no safety net if you fail.  BUT THERE IS A SAFETY NET!  God tends to hid it from our eyes in order to test our faith but it is still there.

Examples from scripture are given to encourage and council you and me when we face dangers and trial.  When we face tests of our faith without seeing a safety net under us.  I compare this to being help up by a rope.  A ¼” rope is sufficient to hold my weight.  I would be comfortable holding onto a ¼” rope if 2ft off the ground but I    want a 1” rope if 1000ft off the ground.  What is different?   The consequences if the rope broke, right?   Likewise, when consequences of failure are greater, we want more security.    Well, God provides more than enough help and security and assurance.  As we gain experience, like Elijah and Peter, we are able to trust Him for greater things.  What have you trusted Him for in past?  What is He asking you to trust Him for now?

Elijah did face 400 prophets of Baal alone and God came and defeated those false prophets and proved to Israel and all who heard about this experience, read about it in scripture generations since, that God is faithful!  God is all powerful!  God is trustworthy and keeps His promises to us!  God prevails over evil!  But also, God works in His way and in His time!  God is always on time and on perfect time, but often very late by our standard and preferences.   God never intended for us to face temptation or life’s challenges or even normal uneventful days alone.  We don’t get into trouble when we are close to Him.  We only get into trouble when we venture ahead of Him and think we can do it ourselves.  We need to realize and discover an uneventful day we start missing our time with Him is more dangerous than a day of great temptation and challenges and problems we prepare for and walk into with Him.  Much like a lumberjack taking 2 hours to sharpen his axe before starting work.  A dull axe results in less work with greater loss of strength and energy.  Let’s take the time to necessary to prepare each morning, when we feel the need to but especially when we don’t feel we need it.

The results of Elijah’s obedience are recorded in I Kings 38:39.  What will be  the results for us?   Only God knows and only God can make that happen, but He chooses to do so as we trust and obey Him.   AMEN?  AMEN!

 “One man with God on his side is always in the majority.”  John Knox

7/18/18                                           Study the Evidence                                   18             

Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”  1 Kings 18:39

Recommended Reading:  I CORINTHIANS 14:22-25  “²² Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.²³ If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?²⁴ But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:²⁵ And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.”

COMMENTS: Discerning good from evil is obvious at it’s extremes but may not be so obvious at times in less black and white circumstances.  Evidence of God’s creative hand is obvious everywhere if we take time to notice.  Unfortunately, much of God’s creation has been tarnished by satan’s corruption.  Yet, the miracle of how the earth orbits around the sun at just the right distance, the way plants create oxygen for us to breath and animals create carbon dioxide for plants to breathe.  The way gravity holds on earth with just the right force.  The beauty of flowers, the sun and sky with all their colors.  The uniqueness of every human being and animal with all their body complexity and reliability to live long lives with little understanding of how they work.  All this and far more shout God’s creative hand and authority and involvement in the world and universe.  Yet satan has and continues to reign death and disease and pain into God’s creation generation after generation.   God doesn’t desire that pain and death and diseaseto continue but allows it because He gives us freedom of choice while administering consequences to discourage those choices and encouraging us to repent and turn back to Him.   He offers redemption and eternal freedom from sin and pain and death but even that choice is ours to make.  We are free to make choices but consequences of poor choices and blessings from wise choices are in God’s hands alone.

Truth is, God’s goal is to bring unity and fellowship with Himself to all human beings.  So, anything that brings disunity and pulls them from having a close relationship with Him is not of God, not matter how good it may appear to be.   Such is going on in every church denomination as well.  Efforts to build harmony and tolerance between church factions may appear to be God’s will until such efforts also result in ignoring or restating or even rewriting what scripture calls sin on order to redefine sin as being good, and both creating deeper division and separation from God.  We are told in scripture that in the latter days good will be judged as evil and evil as good.  Christ came to provide a path to forgiveness and redemption.  A path back to God and a pure life.  A path from death from sin to life free from sin.  The church is to be a place and people to empower and encourage that to take place.  When we condone or tolerate sinful behavior in order to accept those who embrace unrepented sinful lifestyles, we do not help them but hurt ourselves. 

So how do we welcome and invite others without doing just that.  By standing firm to the standard God has set in scripture, are we being self-righteous and judgmental? Where is the defining line of difference?  The answer does not lie with us but in the Holy Spirit’s council He offers to us.  The answers lie in scripture, but we need the Holy Spirit to guide us as we read and seek those answers in scripture.

But truth is, our lives need to first reflect the life Christ is offering so others will see our integrity and joy and conduct but also our sincere love, and long for that difference too.  We can and should love sincerely in the meantime too.  But without condoning nor adopting sinful lifestyles.  Then when others come seeing to change and to join us, the stand God requires of repentance will tear down barrier or division.  I am in the process of discovering what this means and how it needs to be implemented in our own community and church.  I am disappointed I am not seeing such seeking by the leadership in my own denomination, nor in most of the mainline denominations. Yet I also see sincere faithful followers in many local churches striving to be true to scripture and to God’s Will and obey God’s call. 

In contrast, where I see congregations embracing compromise without holding to biblical standards, the result is freefall in moral limits.  Sin is no longer viewed as sin but valid alternate life styles equally good.  Without such standards, there is no basis to judge good from evil nor any restraints to allowing evil to infiltrate and corrupt congregations as well as church doctrine and leadership.

I believe God will hold those in authority accountable, and us as well, for allowing or encouraging or supporting the sinister ways satan is infiltrating and corrupting and deceiving the world and our communities and even our families. 

So, what must we do to counter this downward spiral and how do we overcome that spiral in our own lives and families?  Well, not all of us are called to be Elijahs who faced 450 Baal priests alone to stop the pagan influence and turn the people back to God.  Not all of us are in a position to guide our church denominations back to God either.  But every one of us is in a position to go to God directly with a repentant heart seeking God’s mercy and direction.  Every one of us is in a position to change and begin following the Holy Spirit’s lead to influence our own families, friends, neighbors, local church.  Revival starts with one who surrenders to God and encourages others by example and words to do so too but stops when one is unrepentant and influences others to be unrepentant too.

We may very well be at a critical crossroads, when our choices will decide if end time prophecies will be set in motion resulting in God’s judgment reigning on us very soon and His return to judge and destroy satan’s followers and bind satan to be imminent.  I believe God has delayed such and brought revival many times in past when His people repented and turned back to Him.  Countless examples of such are recorded in Israel’s past in scripture.  Ours is being written now.  How and when will it end?   That very well may still be up to us, but one day God will say enough, and Christ will return to take His people home and to judge the world and bind satan.   I long for His return but still grief for family and friends who still don’t know Him.  I’m sure you do too. 

100 years from now, will it matter how full our churches are or how many of our family and friends are in heaven with us? So instead of following our own wisdom and reasoning abilities, let ‘s start following God’s council, but let’s get quiet and open our hearts and listen and wait on Him first.  OK?

The more you study the Bible, the more evidence you will have that God can meet every need. Let Him prove Himself to you (Malachi 3:10).

 

“Faith must have adequate evidence, else it is mere superstition”.   A. A. Hodge

7/19/18                                             Prayer That Heals                                       19     

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  James 5:16

RECOMMENDED READING: I KINGS 17:17-24  “¹⁷ And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.¹⁸ And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?¹⁹ And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.²⁰ And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?²¹ And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.²² And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.²³ And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.²⁴ And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.”

COMMENTS: This morning I have been reading about the Christian revivals experienced initially in the USA and spread abroad.   The first was 1734-1743, during a time of rampant sin.  A young pastor, Jonathan Edwards, had only seen 6 converts after many months of earnest labor until one young woman was converted. She led 300 to Christ in a town of 1100 souls. News spread and other communities followed, and in 1739 George Whitfield’s preaching struck a match.  He preached relentlessly, resulting in 80% of the 900,000 colonists personally hearing his preaching with revival following.  The second revival was 1800-1840.  By then only one in 15 Americans, 5.3M Americans populated America at that time, belonged to an evangelistic church.  James McGready, a Presbyterian pastor preached in Logan County, Kentucky sparking revival there that grew further camp revivals into Ohio. Over the next 25 years 500,000 were led to Christ.  100,000 were converted in Rochester, NY alone.  By 1850 the nations population grew to 23M but born-again Christians grew to 13% of population or 3M.

Then came the “Businessmen’s revival of 1857-1858 in New York City.  The North Dutch Church in NYC hired a businessman, Jeremiah Lanphier to be a lay missionary.  He prayed seeking God’s direction while carrying a great burden for his fellow businessmen.  3 weeks before the Bank panic of 1857, he opened the church for prayer at noon each day so businessmen could come and pray with him.  The first meeting had 6, the next had 20, and next 40.  He quickly ran out of space so other churches were opened.  Then revival broke out across city and then across USA and then world.  This revival is often called the Great Prayer Meeting Revival.  1M were converted and revival came to 4M already attending church.  Then the Civil War broke out (1861-1865) over the dispute of slavery.  31M people lived were in the USA at that time.  By the end of the war, 300,000 soldiers were converted on both sides. 

Next came the Urban Revivals of 1875-1885.  Dwight Moody, a young businessman was impacted by the 1857 revival in Chicago and led revivals in British Isles that resulted in 2.5M converts before returning to begin revival meetings in USA in 1875. Many hundreds of thousands were converted during his revival services while being attacked by Darwinism and other liberal thinking taking hold too.

The Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 and 1905-1906 in in USA starting in Pennsylvania and spread to other states led by evangelists like Billy Sunday resulted in over 1M converts.  The Azusa Street revival of 1906 in Los Angeles spawned the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

WWII prepared Americans for a post-WWII revival period starting in 1947, including the work of Billy Graham which started in 1949, resulting in millions being converted just in the USA but spreading abroad.  The Charismatic Revival and Jesus Movement were results.

Revival   were also realized in the 1990’s.    The Toronto Blessing in 1995, Melbourne revival in Florida’s Coast; Modest Revival and Brownsville revival in Pensacola, Florida resulted in many hundreds of thousands of converts; and the Promise Keepers Revival that peaked in 1997 with 1M men gathering in Washington, DC to pray and seek personal and national revival.

Common characteristics of each revival: 

1. Timing – during spiritual and moral decline that led to intense prayer.
2. Prayer – A longing in the hearts of many to pray in humble repentance for revival
3. The Word – preaching and reading of God’s Word bringing deep conviction and desire for a personal relationship with Christ.
4. The Holy Spirit – open receiving of God’s Holy Spirit and following His guiding hand and council.
5. Conviction – Open and humble realization of sin and repentance of personal sins.
6. Glory for God – Response of praise and honor and worship to God exclusively.
7. Reformation and Revival – New ministries spring up and change in churches and communities

Revivals are life changing but results are not sustained without sustaining the seeking repentant spirit and prayer that triggered revival.

Such a revival happened when Elijah confronted the 450 prophets of Baal (I Kings 18-19), but it didn’t last either. 

History and scripture warns us of the consequences of not following God’s way to redemption and life.  But history also reveals that crisis is the most effective way of persuading humans to come to God.   Truth is, children are the most open and willing to come to Christ.  Teens and especially adults tend to be so prideful or set in their ways to be less likely to come to Christ without a personal crisis to motive them. So why should we be surprised or angry with God when we face personal crisis.  When we live exclusively following our own wisdom, we open ourselves to endure consequences of our own foolish choice.  But we also need to realize God’s love and desire to be in fellowship means He is willing to allow hardships and crisis in us in order to draw us to Him or draw us closer to Him than we currently are.

Best to yield to Him early and often instead of resisting.  It is folly to resist Him, for His ways are best for us and best for others.  It is also folly because He will prevail in His time and way.  To be on God’s side is to be on the eternal winning side.  Like it or not God will win and any who oppose Him by choice or by simply following their own way, will only bring ultimate death and misery.

So, let’s learn.  Scripture and examples of those before us all give us clear instruction on what God offers and requires.  He also shows us what to do and offers His Holy Spirit to help and guide us on the journey of obedience He calls us to take with Him.

Consider the amazing things He did through Daniel and Joseph and Esther and Paul and   Billy Graham and ….  The list is infinite. Then again, how about the amazing things He did through a loving grandmother and Sunday school teacher or coach or pastor that made a huge difference in our lives.  How about a friend to showed you Christ in their lives?  

We don’t need to change the world, but we need to let Christ change us and then follow His lead and guiding hand.  He likely won’t ask us to face 450 pagan prophets or save a nation from starvation or lead a nation to revival, but who knows.  He won’t ask us to do anything we can’t do with His help.  Your calling may be as simple as raising a child to know Christ or encourage a neighbor or friend.  But revival happens when His people pray and come together to worship and praise and obey Him

“Fervent prayers produce phenomenal results.”  Woodrow Kroll

7/20/18                                Finding New Strength                                      20           And when [Elijah] saw that, he arose and ran for his life.  1 Kings 19:3

RECOMMENDED READING:  John 14:1-27 “ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.⁴ And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.⁵ Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.⁷ If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.⁸ Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?¹⁰ Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake¹² Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. ¹³ And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.¹⁴ If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.¹⁵ If ye love me, keep my commandments.¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.¹⁹ Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.²⁰ At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.²⁵ These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.²⁶ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.²⁷ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, giveth I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

COMMENTS:  Elijah was a great prophet of God who saw God do great miracles during his life.  He also had the privilege of missing death and taken by God directly to heaven by Chariot. Only one other man in history was grated such a privilege – Enoch.  But Elijah was human and was overcome with human fears at times.  When Jezebel vowed to kill him, he ran.  After the great victory at Mt. Carmel where Elijah alone with God overpowered 450 Baal prophets and had them then killed, Ahab reported event to Jezebel who then vowed to kill Elijah. Elijah’s reaction was to run in hiding.  Elijah was exhausted and felt alone and weak.  During such times we too feel weak and alone and feel an overwhelming urge to give up and hide or run away.  We seek out escapes for relief of our fears. Elijah felt alone but truth was Jezebel was alone and Elijah was in a majority. Elijah felt alone so God had to show him 7000 were with Him but also, He was still with Him (I Kings 19). Truth is Elijah wasn’t prepared for serving God to be this hard or dangerous or to take so long.  He was ready to call it a day and retire.  All the miracles God did were not enough to sustain His faith.  Stop and reflect just how much like Elijah you and I really are.  But God understood and compassionately ministered to Elijah.  God sent an angel to touch him and give him food to eat and rest but empowered the food and rest to give him needed strength and energy to continue, to do the impossible but also to believe and want to do the impossible.  God gave Elijah what he needed, but not what he wanted.

Such stories are not intended to discourage us but to prepare us for our foe, who is far stronger than us but no match for God.  Elijah still needed to rely on God even for rest and nourishment.  Elijah felt alone and vulnerable.  He felt overwhelmed with what God was asking him to do.  But once he received the rest and “heaven’s food”, he was ready and eager and confident.  The circumstances and task hadn’t changed but he had changed.  How often do we ask God to change our circumstances when He wants to change us?   Well, Elijah didn’t know and neither do we.  But Elijah’s experience can enable us to seek God’s help and His Holy Spirit’s help in either way to battle satan’s forces.  The next time we face a trial or challenge or tragedy, let’s seek God’s help and council.  But let’s not stop at seeking God to battle our circumstances but for God to change us and equip us to do battle for Him too.  AMEN?  AMEN!   

“Affliction is often that thing which prepares an ordinary person for some sort of an extraordinary destiny.”       C. S. Lewis

 

7/21/18                                         Raptured Up                                                                 21      

Suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire… and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.  2 Kings 2:11

RECOMMENDED READING:  I THESS 4:13-18 “¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

COMMENTS: There are only two people in history who were spared death. One was Enoch (Gen 5) and other is Elijah (2Kings 2).  Lazarus enduring 2 deaths.  First was resurrected from by Christ but endured a second death some time later. Even Christ endured a terrible death on the cross but followed by His wonderful resurrection.

We have all grieved the death of loved ones and, as we get older, begin to realized we have lived long enough to know more people who have died than we know who are still living.

Today’s scripture is one of many which give us the wonderful assurance death need not be feared or dreaded because of the confidence Christ gives us of a wonderful place He is preparing for us with our loved ones and with Himself.  He only asked us to seek and accept His forgiveness, accepting His sacrifice as the sufficient price for our sins. That forgiveness allows us to also accept and enjoy eternal live in heaven and in a new eternal body He is preparing for us. 

The next great event He has promised us in scripture is His return to rapture His church (The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout…and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)) But along with this promise is a warning to be ready because He will come without warning and we will be left behind if unprepared.  So how do we prepare and be assured we are ready?  By first accepting Christ as our Savior and Redeemer and then living each day seeking His council and help by prayer and devotion to scripture and fellowship with other Christians.  Following and obeying Him is not motivated by a requirement to earn a place in heaven but because of our love and worship for Him.  We serve Him then because we want to and because we want to please Him.  Not because we have to but because we want to.

A terrible time is coming when satan will be allowed to reign terrible trials and persecution on Christians, even worse than today.  He will spare us from the worst of those days, but may allow us to endure some of those days of persecution.   But then will come a day of judgment when God punishes and binds satan and reigns judgment on those who followed satan and refused Christ’s redemption.  So much to gain and so much to lose. So why do any refuse or delay Christ’s gift?  Some think they have plenty of time and want to enjoy their current lives a bit more.  Others try to deny God exists or follow another thinking he is their god.  Still, some think they are too buy and will accept Christ later.  There are also a few who consciously worship and give their allegiance to satan and doing his evil.  But consequences Christ warns us of will be the same for all who do not accept His redemptive sacrifice on the cross.  He suffered so we don’t need to, but His sacrifice is a gift that must be accepted in order to be enjoyed.  If we refuse a Christmas gift, it remains unopened and of no value to us.  A gift is of no value unless accepted, opened, and used and enjoyed. 

John 14:6 tells us Christ is the only way to heaven.  To pursue another way or deny or neglect His way is folly and playing a very dangerous game with time.  One day time will run out if we delay too long. 

“If Jesus were to come back this afternoon, all of us who know Christ would be caught up out of here and taken to heaven. We’re going to be raptured up!”   David Jeremiah

 

 

7/22/18                              Underestimating God                        22    

I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal.
1 Kings 19:18

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18  “¹⁶ For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;¹⁸ While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

COMMENTS:  Elijah thought he was alone, even after God’s miracle at Mt. Carmel resulted in shaming and defeating 450 Baal prophets and empowering him to not only defeating them but in destroying them.  But a day can change our thinking and bring great discouragement.  Ahab and Jezebel were bent on destroying him and vowed to not rest until he was dead.  Elijah ran and hid.  But God showed him that he was not alone. There were 7000 more faithful followers.  But God then ministered to his despair and weakness.  He gave him sleep and nourishment and also an assistant, Elisha. Little did Elijah know he would successfully complete his work and pass his mantle on to Elisha but would be spared death with God’s chariot to escort him directly to heaven.  I’m sure he knew of Enoch’s experience but never imagined he would experience the same exit from earth.  

What God has planned for us may not be as significant, in our perspective, as he had for Elijah or any of the other faithful servants of the Old Testament or New Testament.  But be assured He has a plan for each of our lives as significant to Him as theirs.  He has a marvelous way of using weak people of weak faith to do mighty eternal work with little evidence or possibility of such.  But those willing to follow His lead without knowing results, but simply trusting Him.

God’s timing is never late, but perfect.  Yet, it so often seems to be way to late from our perspective.  It was late for Elijah.  That is why he was discouraged and filled with despair.  It very often seems so for us too, but Elijah’s story and experiences of countless faithful over the centuries proof that He is worthy of our trust and faith and obedience.  He is also so worthy of our love and worship and very lives.

So, when we feel discouraged or defeated or overwhelmed or alone, consider we are in good company like Elijah.  But we should be reminded Our God is Faithful and will keep His promises to faithfully carry us through any and all crisis and trial and persecution and ultimately to our eternal home.  IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL WHEN WE SEE JESUS.   AMEN!!

“Should we feel at times disheartened and discouraged, a simple movement of heart toward God will renew our powers.” Francois Fenelon

7/23/18                                    How Hungry are You?                                     23      

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:18

RECOMMENDED READING:  PSALM 35:5-10  “Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them.⁶ Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.⁷ For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.⁸ Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.⁹ And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.¹⁰ All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?”

COMMENTS:  How and when do you pray?   How much time do you spend in prayer each day?  What are the subjects and items you devote to prayer each day?  Then again, what does scripture “pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17) mean and how do we accomplish this?

Discovering and maturing in prayer is a lifelong endeavored.  Most revert to prayer during crisis or tragedy or for critical decisions.  Most do not revert to prayer daily or when life is peaceful.   But we need to look at the lives of faithful Christians we know and especially to Christ’s example in scripture to give us the answer God intends for us to discover and know and follow.

Prayer is far more than a lifeline to God for help but is definitely that.  Prayer is our lifeline of fellowship with our creator and Lord and Savior. Prayer gives us light in the midst of darkness but also guidance during bright days too.  Prayer is our link to the One who knows all and is in ultimate control.  Prayer is also our link to our Best and Greatest Friend and Helpmate.

But prayer is also a mystery of vast opportunity and access.  Much like going into a beautiful room with many wonders and valuable features.  We may become content living in that room but miss exploring and discovering the many other wonderful rooms available to us.  As we explore fellowship with Him in prayer and discover more about our God and learn more from Him, we soon discover a longing to go deeper with Him and spend more focused time with Him.

When we limit prayer to just asking for help when we need it or an obligation we satisfy at a certain time each day and limited to a certain budgeted time each day, we hinder God speaking to us more freely in His time and way.  We limit our openness to receive from Him more of our day.   We also keep ourselves more vulnerable to satan’s temptations by not keeping focus on Him throughout our day.

I too find myself growing weary in prayer and easily distracted by life and family and obligations. 

So, what should we do and change?   What is the expectation God is calling us to?

Think of it this way.  Imagine the food you absolutely love and order as often as you can.  Maybe your favorite meal or favorite desert or drink.  

Let’s take it one step further.  Have you ever been extremely thirsty, working hard all day in the hot sun longing for a cold drink of water?   Have you ever been so hungry, that you couldn’t wait for another meal?  Could you ever be so hungry or thirsty for fellowship with God that entered prayer with that same longing or passion or desire.  But you say we can have conversation with Him as often and whenever we wish.  Doesn’t that diminish our passion because we don’t need to wait and long for Him?  Isn’t that often true of married couple who become so used to each other that their passion fades and they take each other for granted, allowing their love to fade?

Well, neither need be true.  Our love for our spouse and passion for Christ need not fade as the years pass but does require discipline and work to keep relationships fresh and passionate.

God wants to have an ongoing continuous passionate relationship with every one of us all day long and everyday all the time without a break.  He also knows we physically can not sustain or have the focus and energy and discipline to sustain such a relationship with Him.  That is why Christ died on the cross and the Holy Spirit came to indwell in each of us so we can be in and sustain a relationship with Him all day and every day. 

But does that me we are to pray all day and every day instead of doing our work and being in relationship with others, especially with our families?  Of course not.  We can be in an attitude of prayer as we work and play and relate to our family and others each day.  In fact, being in an attitude of prayer opens us to God’s insights and motive and direction so we can make wiser choices and be capable of more deeply loving and caring and service and even leading others.

Yes, we still need quiet time daily to pray and study His Word and give Him praise and worship and thanksgiving.  But we also need to stay in an attitude of praise and worship and thanksgiving while working and going about our daily lives and obligations.  We need to seek His council and direction and follow His direction during day.   Seeking help and council from other faithful Christians is equally important too. 

What I am describing is the example Christ lived while on earth.  You and I can likely give examples of other Christians we know or read about who live closer to Christ’s example than we have lived.  Their example supports and helps us understand and strive to achieve this example too.  But we also need to frequently stop and reflect and consider if we are living any closer to Christ’s example than we lived last year.  As we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to us (James 4:8)

Let’s develop a passionate hunger for deeper fellowship with Christ. As we devote more time with Him and set reminders during day to help us keep our minds on Him throughout our day, we will start to realize we are starting to “pray without ceasing” and starting to live more like Him with a fringe benefit of beginning to love life and loving others with more joy and with a more positive outlook too.

What I am describing isn’t easy but if worth all the necessary effort we need to sacrifice to make it happen.

So why is prayer so hard?  Why does satan fight so hard to keep us from prayer?  Because when we master this precious gift and open ourselves for God to communicate to us and us to Him through prayer, life changing and eternity changing things begin to happen.  We begin seeing God’s vision for us and begin loving and caring as He does.  We begin becoming more like Him.  But we also begin allowing Him to equip us for battle.    Battle against satan and his schemes and goals.   Battle against his attacks on our family and church and community.  We begin allowing His Holy Spirit to equip us as prayer warriors.   Then when we go out into the world, it is with renewed vision and passion and insights and power.  That is why satan fears and fights us when we pray.   He knows the power prayer has.  He also knows how much God wants to connect with us.   Everything God wants, satan hates because he hates God and wants to hurt Him any way he can, but especially by hurting us.  Know our enemy and equip ourselves to do battle with him.  Are you preparing for battle today? Put on God’s armor starting with prayer, so He will nourish and prepare us as only He can do.  

 

 “Few people arise in the morning as hungry for God as they are for cornflakes or toast and eggs.”
Dallas Willard

AMEN?  AMEN!

 

7/24/18                How Well Do You Know Our God?                                 24 

“Call upon me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which thou knowest not.”  Jeremiah 33:3

“For I know my plans for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:11-13

COMMENTS:  Jeremiah 33:3 is a very familiar verse to me.  It became my life verse when Arlene and I married 40 years ago.  Sam Shreffler, Free Methodist pastor and husband to my wife to be’s twin sister, married us.  But Jack Ruggles was at that time pastor of the Free Methodist Church in Franklin, Pennsylvania where Arlene attended and we would attend Sunday evenings while we dated and a number of years after.  Jack sang at our wedding and He and Ellie, his wife, wrote this verse on the Wedding Card they gave us.  They became very close to us during those years and ministered to us in the years that followed even though our home church became the United Methodist Church in Clintonville where I grew up and where our new home was.

This verse became a powerful verse guiding and spurring me to go deeper in my walk with Christ, but a few years later Jeremiah 29 added so much more to  Jeremiah 33 and drew me much deeper in fellowship and prayer with Christ.

Yesterday we discussed the importance of prayer.  Discovering who God is and what He is like is a life-long endeavor because of how great and vast He is.  But along that journey of discover come an amazement of just How Good and Loving He is towards us and how unworthy and undeserving we are of His love and care for us. Today’s verses remind us just how well He does care and provide and love us.  How dependent we are on Him as well as how deserving He is of our love and devotion and worship and gratitude.  I encourage you to take some time and reflect and meditate and ponder these verses from Jeremiah 29 and 33 while reflecting on all the ways God has blessed and provided and loved you and your family over the years.  One of the wonderful discoveries I am looking forward to in heaven is learning how God impacted my ancestors and then how their influence rippled to me.  Then to discover how God plan was fulfilled in ways I don’t realize now.   But in the meantime there is much I can discover and learn while on earth and am sure you can too.  Inquiring of those older than us and hearing their stories and those before them may not seem so when we are young, but become priceless treasures to us as we grow older.   I encourage you to take advantages of those opportunities while your parents and grandparents are alive and with you.  Their legacy will continue in you by doing so.  But even more important, God’s promises they embraced and enjoyed and relied on will become yours to enjoy and rely on too.  That is the most important legacy we leave for our children and grandchildren too. AMEN?  AMEN!                

“To obey God’s will is to find the fulfillment of our lives.”   David Watson

 

7/25/18                                        Good to All                                            25             

The Lord is good to all.  Psalm 145:9

RECOMMENDED READING: MATTHEW 5:43-48 “⁴³ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.⁴⁴ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;⁴⁵ That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.⁴⁶ For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?⁴⁷ And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?⁴⁸ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

COMMENTS:  How often does God show you that your attitude and sense of right and wrong are all wrong?  When you think the way, you judge others is right and the way they judge you is wrong.  Well, truth is we are all wrong to a great extent and closer we get to God’s Word and closer we get to Christ and the Holy Spirit, the more we begin to realize we still are in error and in need of God’s insight and correction.  This week at Pleasantville Free Methodist Family Camp has been a wonderful camp.  Seeing children and teens in good numbers at camp and most flocking to the altar during worship is inspiring and heartwarming.  I will be sharing more details of this year’s family camp in more detail in future devotions.  Last night a physically frail 80-year-old man walked forward and gave a moving call to repentance and healing an is calling all to join him in God’s call to reach one million by twitter and Facebook and email. Our evangelist, Rev. Ken Martin, had this man, a 60-year-old man, a 40-year-old man, a 20-year-old man, a 15-year-old teen, and a 10-year-old boy all stand side by side and visualize passing on each to other God’s insights and teachings and their life’s journey of both obedience and disobedience on to the younger.   He used the scripture in Acts 2:17-18 related to old men dreaming dreams and children seeing visions as they stood and as the 80-year-old shared his dream to the child and the child responded back to him.  A previous night Ken, a tall middle aged black evangelist humbled himself to wash the feet of a white teen boy.  Tonight the 80-year-old man humbled himself to wash the feet of our evangelist.   Then to have 3 children and one teen receive baptism filled the place and all attending with God’s presence and His Holy Spirit.  An amazing and life changing experience.

Well, this experience prepared me for today’s devotion. Loving our enemies and neighbors alike and seeing each other as God sees us, young and old, black and white, man and woman, rich and poor, saved or unsaved, Christian or Muslim.  Being loving and caring for those we don’t agree with or even like is what we are called to do, like it or not.  Choosing to love those we don’t like can be hard, especially if their   words and actions irritate or even hurt us or those we love. But scripture tells us to do so and even says even pagans are kind to those they like and who are kind to them, but His followers are to demonstrate the same kindness to those who even hate and hurt them.  Matthew 5:45 tells us God makes the sun to shine down on the righteous and unrighteous alike.  Psalm 145:8-9 tells us that the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.  He is slow to anger and quick and great to give mercy.

Truth is we are all enemies of God and only become His friends as we move closer to Him and respond to His instruction.  Christ called his disciples His friends knowing Peter would deny Him and Judas would betray Him.  He knew they all would run and hide when He was crucified.  But He also knew they would change when His Holy Spirit would enter them.  He saw them for who they would become more than who they still were.    Can we learn to see others and even ourselves that same way?  That is our call and goal.  Christ died so we could and the Holy Spirit came to empower and enable us to.   “Every morning we ought to awake, looking out at the beautiful new day God has made and declare, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.””   David Jeremiah

7/26/18                                              JUDGMENT                               26   

But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.   1 Kings 21:25

RECOMMENDED READING:  2 TIMOTHY 4:1 “4 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;”

COMMENTS:  Do you know anyone who has given themselves over to an evil life-style?  Those from history like Nero or Hitler or Ahab and Jezebel noted in today’s scripture stand out for their conduct and terrible deeds.  But what about those who are less obvious who turn to crime and drugs and various forms of sinful behavior.   None have ever done so knowing or believing the level of depravity they would steadily fall into nor the full consequences on themselves and their families.  I dare      say few if any would do so if they had full knowledge and comprehension.  Just like Lazarus and the rich man Jesus told of in scripture, the rich man longed to warn his family but was unable to do so.  Satan withholds that knowledge and tricks and draws us step and step deeper and deeper into sin and its death grip if we continue to follow him. Most exercise some restraint based on fear of getting caught or guilt or realization at least somewhat of consequences.  But in God’s eyes we are all equally deprived and sinful with the redemption and covering of Christ’s blood and Grace. We are living in a time and season of God’s Grace that began at Christ’s resurrection and continues to this day.  Pentecost enabled us to have and enjoy God’s Holy Spirit living in us.  Enabling us to walk the journey toward becoming Christ like and less satan like.  Learning to forgive and loving toward is our calling and life goal.  Judgment is not ours to do.  But one day that time of Grace will end and Christ will come to judge and rule this world.  This world will change and those who received His Grace will inherit the world He will transform and rule.  Satan will no longer be allowed to tempt and corrupt it or us.   Times when we are close to Him and in fellowship and worship with other believers, we get a glimpse of what it will be like.  What a wonderful time it will be.  But in the meantime, there is work to be done.  Work in sharing the Good News and work of change God still needs to do in our own soul, for we are still a long way from being Christ-like.

“The fact that Jesus will sit upon the throne of judgment will be the consternation of his enemies and the consolation of his people.”     John Murray

 

 

7/27/18                   Unlikely Likeables: Seed Planter                           27

“For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Psalm 1:26

COMMENTS:  Elijah was empowered by God to administer some amazing miracles and some amazing things.  Resurrecting the widow’s son or sustaining the cooking oil for a year or his offering at Mt. Carmel wasn’t his greatest legacy.  His greatest legacy was his life and the people he mentored while on earth.  Elisha had the privilege of learning from Elijah as he shared his life walk of faith with God.  Elisha also witnessed Elijah’s incredible exit by a chariot from heaven, receiving Elijah’s mantle cloak as it fell from Elijah as he ascended into heaven.

Who have you mentored under?  Those who greatly impacted and still do impact you.  I am still being impacted by saints I knew long gone to heaven.  How about you?  The legacy they left with their example and love and good deeds live on in the lives of those they knew and touched.  Likewise, their legacy lives on as we follow their example to those we know. 

What legacy are we too building in the lives of others?  Who will quote our saying or reflect on what we did or would do when we are gone?  I still quote saying my father told me long ago even though he has been in heaven since 2002.

Jim Elliott died at the hands of the Auca Indians he was trying to reach for Christ before seeing the fruit of that work.  But His wife did and now that tribe not only has accepted Christ but has brought Christ to many surrounding tribes.  Even the man who killed Jim was led to Christ by Jim’s wife and is an evangelist to his neighboring tribes.

More commonly we don’t see the results of our influence while alive.  Not knowing can and does bring a sense of failure, but we need to remember what we do for Christ is never done in vain. (I Corinthians 15:58).  Psalm 126:6 “He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing sheaves with him.”

 “Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.”
David Brainerd

7/28/18                   God’s Plan for Us – Given to Jeremiah                        28

“The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.  Before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:4-5

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

“Call upon me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know”  Jeremiah 33:3

COMMENTS: We serve a God far greater than any pagan god man could create.  The attributes and goodness of our God is far above anything we can imagine or comprehend.  The closer we get to Him, the more we will realize that and love and worship Him more.  If we look at the pagan gods of Hinduism or Buddhism or Islam or …, we will soon realize our God is far above theirs.  The reason is only God is real and God.  All others were created by man at inspiration of satan himself.  You don’t believe that?  Well, our Bible tells us Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6) and God is a jealous God and does not permit any other gods before Him (10 commandments – Exodus 20:1-17). Truth is, the existence of God doesn’t depend on us believing in Him, but our existence and future definitely depends on Him, like it or not.  That is because He is our creator and sustainer, the all-powerful God who is still on His throne.  AMEN?

Well, I invite you to prayerfully reflect and meditate on the above scriptures found in Jeremiah.  Stop and consider how amazing it is that knew you and me before we were born and loved us.  Even though He also knows everyone great and small from Adam to present, each and every one of us He knows and loves just as much.  He loves and knows you and me just as much as Abraham and Isaac, as Daniel and David, as Joseph and Jacob, as Billy Sunday and Billy Graham, as the greatest of kings and poorest of peasants.  He also has a plan for each one of us which we have free will to accept and follow or reject and turn from. 

But He tells us His plan is good and brings us hope and a bright future.  He also tells us we can be in intimate fellowship and relationship with Him if we seek Him with all our hearts. If we do so, He will draw near to us and show us mighty things we can’t know or even comprehend without His insights.  But He will reveal to us knowledge that will give us life and hope and joy and peace.  Such things satan rejected and despises because he hates God and hates us too.  Satan is bent on hurting God and destroying us and will do anything he can to fulfill that goal.   So why does God him to do the harm he does?  The answer is not completely known, but He did give satan free will to choose and the 1/3 angels who left heaven with him were free to choose as well.  We too have free will to choose who we will follow too.  But evil choices do have consequences that can and will hurt not only the guilty but all too often the innocent who did not make those choices.

Yet all have sinned and are guilty and worthy of God’s judgment.  Even if we are hurt by the sins of others, we still are guilty of equally evil sins for which we are guilty of committing.   That is why we all need a Savior to forgive us and bear our sins.  That is why Jesus died on the cross and raised from the death to provide forgiveness and victory over sin.  That is why the Holy Spirit came to empower and enable and empower each of us to be transformed and begin living a more Christ-like life and discover and follow the plan God made for each of us before the world began and long before we were conceived.  

How wonderful a realization.  How wonderful a love story that God knows and loves us each and every one no matter our position or color or location or gender or age.  Who could have imagined or wrote such a love story?  Only God could and only God did.  He relayed these wonderful truths to those who He chose, not to keep to themselves but proclaim to the world, to everyone.  The Israelites were not to keep this truth to themselves. God’s plan for them was to live and stay faithful to Him and proclaim this wonderful love story to the pagan world so they too would repent and turn to Him.  But instead they not only keep God’s truth to themselves but turned from Him to follow the pagan gods time after time, with disastrous consequences for them and for the pagan nations who needed to hear.

Consider the story of Jonah who fled to avoid God’s call to preach repentant to the Ninevites, a brutal pagan people who invaded and reigned terror and death on the Israelites.  Jonah didn’t want to preach to them because he hated them for what they did to his people and family and know God would be merciful to them if they did repent.  But God changed his mind in the belly of a great fish and Nineveh’s population of likely 100,000 repented and received God’s mercy.  Notice that made Jonah angry until God changed his soul too and show him how to forgive too. 

This is the same God we serve. The same God who died for you and me and provides His Holy Spirit 24x7x365 to each one of us to help and guide us on the life journey of following His plan.

Do you know God’s plan for you?  Are you following it?  If you know it, then you know what to do.  If you don’t know it, just go to Him with a sincere heart asking.  He won’t without it but does want to prepare us to receive it, so may take some time to get our attention or for us to clear our minds to give Him full attention.  So, let’s get busy and draw closer to Him. He still has much to teach and show and tell us. After all, He is God and we’re not!!  AMEN?  AMEN!!

7/29/18                           From One Generation to the Next                          29           “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophecy.”.  Acts 2:17-18

COMMENTS:  July 20-28 was the time of our annual Free Methodist Family Camp in Pleasantville Free Methodist Campground, Pennsylvania.  This year we had a wonderful camp.  God’s Spirit came in a mighty way resulting in the altar filled with seekers from very young to over 80.  Our evangelist, Rev. Ken Martin gave God’s Word to us in such a way that related to and stirred young and old to repentance seeking God. 

One evening Ken invited an 88-year-old man, a 60-year-old man, a 40-year-old man, a 20-year-old man, a 15-year-old teen, and a 10-year-old boy to stand side by side to illustrate the passing of God’s anointing and also life experiences from one generation to the next from old to you and middle age both ways.

God’s spirit then come and the 88-year-old man did two things.  He was frail and with much effort washed the feet of the evangelist.  Also, memorable the previous night was when the evangelist washed the feet of a teen boy.  Likewise, that 80-year-old man shared a vision or dream God gave him.  He said the condition of our country is not due primarily to what Republicans or Democrats or even socialists have done or said or not done, but due to a turning away from God and His plan and commands.  He then went on to say God has called him to invite 1,000,000 to prayer and repentance and for national revival.  He also asked all willing to give him their email addresses so he could contact them and be a part of sharing his message on Facebook and tweeter and other medias which he admitted knows little about.  That call to action resulted in a long list giving their email addresses to him but also opened God’s Holy Spirit to come on those present at service and to bring new meaning to the illustration of today’s scripture across generations.  I am hoping to use my contact list on Facebook and email list I distribute this journal to in order to help him fulfill the vision God gave him.  I also invite you to pray about this seeking what God has for you to add as well.  I am also in prayer seeking God’s direction.  I will certainly share as more information and direction follows.

7/30/18                           God’s Tools for Testing                                                         30

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because  the one who is in you is greater than  the one who is in the world.”  I JOHN 4:1-4

COMMENTS:  War is an all too familiar environment in every generation. The most dangerous enemies are not those who confront us face us as visible discernable invaders but those who infiltrate our communities and families looking and pretending to be like us and our friends.  Islam terrorists come into a community and live among it’s people until called to service and reign death and destruction on that community through a bomb or gun or other deadly force.  They are not suspected until it is too late. No defense is able to discern and warn or fight such an enemy without knowledge to search out and confront that enemy.

The same is true of our battle with satan.  He and his demons come hidden or as friends or providing opportunities pleasing to us.  Their skills in tempting us to sin and get involved in evil are polished by thousands of years of practice.  We are not equipped or knowledgeable enough to fight such an enemy ourselves.  Lust of the eye and pride of life are most common and most effective ways satan used to draw us into his trap. 

Such was also true even in the first century church.  You may wonder why anyone would preach a false gospel when Christ’s gospel is so wonderful and brings eternal life?  But think again about the temptation of pride of life and lust of the eye.   Service Christ keeps the honor and credit on Him and not on the one preaching or teaching.  When we like getting the credit and praise for good deeds and wise teaching, we quickly put ourselves at risk of falling prey to distorting the Gospel into something that no longer honors Christ nor follows His teaching.  The distortion likely starts out small and maybe harmless but is none the less not pure and true. 

False teachers and prophets often are sincere in their teaching.  They may have started out true but slowly wondered from Christ without even noticing the separation and fell prey to satan’s deception and tricks.  They then become an enemy of the church and no longer a friend and partner in ministry.  That is why it is so important to be on guard so we don’t become deceived and then become deceivers instead of servants.

Considering this may make us wonder what can we do or what hope do we have to succeed?  First of all, realize we have no hope alone and any temptation to fight this battle alone is destined for failure.  Today’s scripture tells us any gospel that is not centered on Christ, His human life here, and His death and resurrection and redemptive sacrifice is not of Him.  When our life and focus and fellowship is focused on Him, then He equips us to discern and defeat satan’s temptations of all kinds.  He will prick our spirit when we begin to wonder off alone.  Even David did not notice when the “lust of the eye” drew him into adultery and murder.  He went a year without fellowship with God, which he had known and relied on many years before, without even noticing the loss until the prophet Nathan confronted him and exposed his sin.  If such could happen to David, how much easier can it happen to us.  If David would have fled to God when he first felt the temptation, all would have been different.  We need to learn the lesson and be and stay diligent too. 

Our help and only hope lies in our relationship with Christ.  By keeping our eyes on Him and staying open to the Holy Spirit’s abiding influence, we are and stay equipped with the tools and strength to expose and defeat satan’s attacks no matter how or how often they attack us.  Stop and reflect on those you know who seem to maintain a joyous attitude in the midst of amazing hardships while others seem to be defeated and miserable giving in to every temptation that comes their way.  The difference is who they are holding on it.    The told saying “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” refers to working and staying focused on fixing your own problems.  But have you ever tried to lift yourself up by your shoe strings?  Impossible.  So why do we try to fix our own problems alone.  Why not seek help especially from the One who knows best how to fix us and help us and is so eager to help.  HE paid a great price so we can and He will.  We only need to ask, like the prodigal and He will come running to us.  He has promised to do so and is patiently waiting for us to ask.   SO, ASK ALREADY!!!  I’m asking too because we never grow so far, we still can’t go it alone without His constant abiding council and help and strength and wisdom.  AMEN?  AMEN!

7/31/18                           Who are Your True Friends?                                    31

“17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called the19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?28 And they said, We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the Lord.30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.”  Genesis 26:17-32

COMMENTS:  Isaac enjoyed the same fellowship with God that his father, Abraham did. He also enjoyed the wealth and prosperity his father possesses.  Digging wells was hard work with no guarantee of finding water.  The Philistines plugged the wells Abraham had dug.  They filled and ruined perfectly good wells to hurt and torment Abraham and his family.

As Isaac would move and dig wells, any that found water would be taken over by local tribal herdsmen of Gerar who would confront and quarrel with Isaac everywhere he went.  Isaac would let them take the wells and he would move on and dig wells again just to be confronted again.  But finally, Isaac found land and dug a good well without quarrel or someone attempting to take it from him.  Yet God continued to bless Isaac and help him locate where to dig his well to find water.  To find the right place to dig and find a good supply of clean water was difficult and a price for those who possessed one.

Everyone want to be friends during good times, especially if we are generous with them.  But during times of need, we find out who our true friends really are.  You’ve heard it said “A friend while in need is a friend indeed”.  Picking friends who remain true in bad times are priceless. 

Christ is such a friend to us!  Consider who enabled Isaac to prosper and gain wealth and herds and land and good wells.  Who helped Isaac dig where he would find a good water source?  Digging those wells was still hard work but the difference following God’s commands and instruction was noticed by Isaac’s pagan neighbors. They wanted the prosperity but not the commitment to God.  So, they thought if they would be friends with Isaac, they would be blessed like him without giving up their pagan gods and sinful lifestyles.

But they could have had so much more, like Rehab and Ruth.  God desired Isaac to be witness leading pagan nations to Him, but instead Israel repeatedly followed the pagan gods instead.  God instructed Jonah to preach repentance to the Ninevites, the pagan people who invaded and killed Jonah’s people and family.  When Jonah refused, he ended up in the belly of a large fish until he repented.  The people of Nineveh did repent were spared judgment.  

Do you want God’s blessings without giving up your gods and selfish and sinful pleasures?  This didn’t work for the pagan neighbors of “Isaac.  I didn’t even work for Isaac’s dependents, the Israelites.  It doesn’t work for you and me either.  Associating with Christians or even being a part of a church doesn’t entitle us to God’s blessings or eternal life.  We need Him in our souls and receive His redemptive forgiveness in order to receive God’s gifts He intends for us.  Otherwise, we are trying to steal from God and from His people.  That may appear to go well for a time but God will not tolerate that forever.  Satan steals from God for a time but not forever.  God will say enough is enough and will reign judgment.  History and scripture gives us countless examples. 

God has so much more for us than just material possessions.  His love and forgiveness and continual fellowship are so much more priceless than anything we can acquire on this world.  Sure, we need food and money and water and shelter and family to thrive.  We need fellowship with Christ so much more and 100 years from now, the things of this world will be gone but our relationship with Christ will remain and be what we value most.  We need to seek and value Him now more than what things we want Him to give us.  So, lets seek what HE wants and trust Him to give us material things we need and recognize we may need to let go of wanting some things we don’t need but just want because His wisdom determines what is best for us and our family and also best to fulfill His Will. 

War is an all too familiar environment in every generation. The most dangerous enemies are not those who confront us face us as visible discernable invaders but those who infiltrate our communities and families looking and pretending to be like us and our friends.  Islam terrorists come into a community and live among it’s people until called to service and reign death and destruction on that community through a bomb or gun or other deadly force.  They are not suspected until it is too late. No defense is able to discern and warn or fight such an enemy without knowledge to search out and confront that enemy.

The same is true of our battle with satan.  He and his demons come hidden or as friends or providing opportunities pleasing to us.  Their skills in tempting us to sin and get involved in evil are polished by thousands of years of practice.  We are not equipped or knowledgeable enough to fight such an enemy ourselves.  Lust of the eye and pride of life are most common and most effective ways satan used to draw us into his trap. 

Such was also true even in the first century church.  You may wonder why anyone would preach a false gospel when Christ’s gospel is so wonderful and brings eternal life?  But think again about the temptation of pride of life and lust of the eye.   Service Christ keeps the honor and credit on Him and not on the one preaching or teaching.  When we like getting the credit and praise for good deeds and wise teaching, we quickly put ourselves at risk of falling prey to distorting the Gospel into something that no longer honors Christ nor follows His teaching.  The distortion likely starts out small and maybe harmless but is none the less not pure and true. 

False teachers and prophets often are sincere in their teaching.  They may have started out true but slowly wondered from Christ without even noticing the separation and fell prey to satan’s deception and tricks.  They then become an enemy of the church and no longer a friend and partner in ministry.  That is why it is so important to be on guard so we don’t become deceived and then become deceivers instead of servants.

Considering this may make us wonder what can we do or what hope do we have to succeed?  First of all, realize we have no hope alone and any temptation to fight this battle alone is destined for failure.  Today’s scripture tells us any gospel that is not centered on Christ, His human life here, and His death and resurrection and redemptive sacrifice is not of Him.  When our life and focus and fellowship is focused on Him, then He equips us to discern and defeat satan’s temptations of all kinds.  He will prick our spirit when we begin to wonder off alone.  Even David did not notice when the “lust of the eye” drew him into adultery and murder.  He went a year without fellowship with God, which he had known and relied on many years before, without even noticing the loss until the prophet Nathan confronted him and exposed his sin.  If such could happen to David, how much easier can it happen to us.  If David would have fled to God when he first felt the temptation, all would have been different.  We need to learn the lesson and be and stay diligent too. 

Our help and only hope lies in our relationship with Christ.  By keeping our eyes on Him and staying open to the Holy Spirit’s abiding influence, we are and stay equipped with the tools and strength to expose and defeat satan’s attacks no matter how or how often they attack us.  Stop and reflect on those you know who seem to maintain a joyous attitude in the midst of amazing hardships while others seem to be defeated and miserable giving in to every temptation that comes their way.  The difference is who they are holding on it.    The told saying “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” refers to working and staying focused on fixing your own problems.  But have you ever tried to lift yourself up by your shoe strings?  Impossible.  So why do we try to fix our own problems alone.  Why not seek help especially from the One who knows best how to fix us and help us and is so eager to help.  HE paid a great price so we can and He will.  We only need to ask, like the prodigal and He will come running to us.  He has promised to do so and is patiently waiting for us to ask.   SO, ASK ALREADY!!!  I’m asking too because we never grow so far, we still can’t go it alone without His constant abiding council and help and strength and wisdom.  AMEN?  AMEN!

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