John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
I would venture to guess we all know the story of Lazarus. Jesus standing at his tomb and stating "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43) and out came a man who had been dead for four days. A grand miracle performed by the Son of God in front of many witnesses.
I think, however, the real message in the story of Lazarus to born again Christ Followers is not the miracle itself but the story leading up to the miracle. When you read the story, you know that Martha sent word to Jesus "Lord, the one you love is sick." (John 11:3). We know Jesus received the message, "Yes when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days." (John 11:6) We know that Jesus knew Lazarus was dead before he went back to Judea, "Lazarus is dead" (John 11:14). We know Martha went out to meet Jesus and was distressed that he did not come when he was called "Lord...if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (John 11:21)
Based on just those things, did Jesus fail his friends? Why did he not come when he was called to help those he loved? Well you will probably say no because you know the end of the story. However, in that moment, all Martha knew is Jesus didn't come and her brother was dead.
I know there are many times in our lives when we ask something of God and do not get a response. Does that make you feel like God has abandoned you? That he does not care about your particular problem?
Our human problem is we see things as being about us when in fact, they are not about us at all. How many of us out there are Martha's. Martha, we know from scripture is a very take charge type of person. She is a committee of one. She knows what needs to be done and takes things into her own hands to get them done. We can infer she is the oldest sibling of Mary and Lazarus and seems to have taken care of them. She is successful, for they appear to be well off. Even in her message to Jesus, we know she is succinct and to the point, "Lord, the one you love is sick." She says what she means and means what she says.
Does Martha sound familiar to you? The type of person who tells God their problems, asking for his help, but would like to tell him exactly how to solve the problem. How many times we forget, it is God's will not ours. God works everything for his good, not ours.
Look at the same scripture again. What did Jesus say when he heard of Lazarus' illness, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified thougth it" (John 11:4). We know Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus (John 11:5), not the kind of love we know but the love of God.
What did Jesus say to the disciples after he told them Lazarus was dead, "and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe." (John 11:15) When Martha met him on the road, she told him she knew she would see her brother in the resurrection of the last day. How did Jesus respond? He said "I am..." the rest of what he says is awesome but I believe the true meaning of it is simple....Jesus says, "I am...Do you believe this?"
We must remember that even though God may not work on our time, the most important thing is his statement..."I am". He is our sovereign Lord, One who is wise and holy beyond our finite understanding...
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Be mindful that it does not say "all things are good". We know they are not. But God will use every circumstance, good or evil, for good. And guess what, it may not be what we had in mind!!!
As you go out and face the day, with whatever struggles you are facing, whatever you have asked God to help you with, remember, his answer may not be what you wanted or expected. However, find great joy in knowing, it is all for the greater good of God and be obedient to his decisions.
"See now that I, I am He,
And there is no god besides Me;
It is I who put to death and give life.
I have wonded and it is I who heal.
And there is no one who can deliver from
My hand."
(Deuteronomy 32:39)
Prayer:
Pray Psalm 118, it is my favorite and helps me remember that with God nothing of this world can hurt me!!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
My Thanksgiving Message
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Happy Thanksgiving all my Closer Walk friends!!
This morning I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how my life has changed in the past year. Last Thanksgiving, I cooked for the very first time in my life for my Mother, who had just a few weeks earlier suffered a heart attack. We had always thought of my Mother as our pillar of strength....she was the strongest woman I have ever known and I never thought she would be sick.
After dinner, we sat on my front porch for a long time and talked....a bit of a rarity for us. You see, I was always the standoffish, none emotional, no sentiment daughter. My Mother used to tell me all the time "You will miss me when I am gone."
Little did I know that day my Mother would be dead before the New Year. And you know something, she was so right....I miss her like crazy.
I have spent this morning considering just how hard this year has been, losing my Mother, financial worries, etc. Yet today, I am filled with a joy, a peace, a love, like I have never experienced. Because you see, this year I woke up to the fact that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. In the midst of all my pain and sorrows, I have found the word of God and in that word, I found salvation.
Oh, I am so thankful today. I thank God for filling me with the Holy Spirit, giving me a helper to get me through every day, to take that next right step. I make it "one step at a time"....with Jesus in me every minute. I understand I will NEVER be alone. I don't' have to do anything alone. What joy that brings!!
Today, I hope you too feel that same joy. The peace that surpasses all understanding. We have the greatest gift of all....Jesus Christ died for our sins so we can have eternal life. Live today with the joy of that knowledge. Remember those you have lost fondly, thanking God for the beautiful memories you have of them and know this is only a stop on our journey. Have faith and know we will be together in his kingdom.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. " -- Philippians 4:4-7
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will received the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." -- James 1:12
This is a day of great Thanksgiving....thank you Lord!!
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Happy Thanksgiving all my Closer Walk friends!!
This morning I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how my life has changed in the past year. Last Thanksgiving, I cooked for the very first time in my life for my Mother, who had just a few weeks earlier suffered a heart attack. We had always thought of my Mother as our pillar of strength....she was the strongest woman I have ever known and I never thought she would be sick.
After dinner, we sat on my front porch for a long time and talked....a bit of a rarity for us. You see, I was always the standoffish, none emotional, no sentiment daughter. My Mother used to tell me all the time "You will miss me when I am gone."
Little did I know that day my Mother would be dead before the New Year. And you know something, she was so right....I miss her like crazy.
I have spent this morning considering just how hard this year has been, losing my Mother, financial worries, etc. Yet today, I am filled with a joy, a peace, a love, like I have never experienced. Because you see, this year I woke up to the fact that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. In the midst of all my pain and sorrows, I have found the word of God and in that word, I found salvation.
Oh, I am so thankful today. I thank God for filling me with the Holy Spirit, giving me a helper to get me through every day, to take that next right step. I make it "one step at a time"....with Jesus in me every minute. I understand I will NEVER be alone. I don't' have to do anything alone. What joy that brings!!
Today, I hope you too feel that same joy. The peace that surpasses all understanding. We have the greatest gift of all....Jesus Christ died for our sins so we can have eternal life. Live today with the joy of that knowledge. Remember those you have lost fondly, thanking God for the beautiful memories you have of them and know this is only a stop on our journey. Have faith and know we will be together in his kingdom.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. " -- Philippians 4:4-7
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will received the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." -- James 1:12
This is a day of great Thanksgiving....thank you Lord!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Alive Again - Healing the Hurt
There are so many people in this world who are hurt and broken. They might be in a marriage that is dead, they have lost their job, looking for love they find themselves pregnant and alone, in an effort to ease their pain they are addicted to alcohol or drugs....this list could go on and on. These people might be you, your neighbor, your co-worker, the barista who fixes your Starbucks every morning. You sit next to them or pass them everyday. There are so many people in this world who are hurt and broken, who need Jehovah-Rapha (The Lord Who Heals).
God heals our hurts in many ways. He can bring comfort and peace when we think we can find none. All we need to do is to turn to Him, trust in Him and let Him be the Lord Who Heals, Jehovah-Rapha.
First, God heals our hurts by His presence. God will never leave us. He is with us in our darkest hours. Hang on to that knowledge and allow Him to walk with you and give you the strength you need to overcome anything.
Isaiah 43:2 (New International Version)
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Psalm 23:4 (New International Version)
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Second, God heals our hurts by His promise. God has promised us to deliver us from any pain, any trouble. All he requires is we believe in Him, believe in His son and believe He saved us from all our sins through His death on the cross. Yes, there will be times of suffering, but if we are faithful, he promises to see us through that suffering and offers us great reward. Take the first chapter of Joel, imagine standing there watching your crops, abundant and plentiful, laid to waste in a very short time, locust eating everything. You have lost everything, there are no stores (savings), nothing. However, in the very next chapter God gives us his promise....
Joel 2:25-26 (New International Version)
25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm [a]—
my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
Joshua 21:45 (New International Version)
45 Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Next, God heals our hurts through His people. Consider Paul, his suffering in the name of Jesus was great. However, he was able to use his suffering to speak directly to the hurts of others, to help heal them through the word of God. I know God saved me when He did so that I would have the sin and suffering I endured outside of Him to use in my dealings with others. I consider what I went through as my PhD level training on suffering. Who better to tell someone of the healing powers of God than someone who has experienced it themselves. Someone who has been there and can attest to them first hand.
2 Corinthians 1:3-6 (New International Version)
The God of All Comfort
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
Finally, God heals our hurts through his own suffering. Yes, God suffers. In fact, God took on our greatest suffering, our sin. He bore our suffering to save us, the greatest healing of all.
Isaiah 53:4-5 (New International Version)
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
That last line says it all....BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED!!!
If you are suffering today, take comfort in knowing God is with you, He will never leave you. He promises to bring you through it and reward you greatly on the other side. He will provide fellowship with others to help you through. People who have been where you are and who, through the grace of God, survived to be a better person in Christ. Finally, God knows your suffering because He bore the ultimate suffering for us, He saved us!!
Prayer:
Lord, Thank You for Your presence, promises, people and Your own sufferings to heal me. I endure suffering help me to know You are always with me, show me Your presence, let me feel Your protective arms around me. Bring Christian people into my life for fellowship and help in my worst times. Heal me Lord, Heal me through Your love and Your knowledge of suffering. Use my pain to help others. I trust in you. In Jesus name, Amen.
God heals our hurts in many ways. He can bring comfort and peace when we think we can find none. All we need to do is to turn to Him, trust in Him and let Him be the Lord Who Heals, Jehovah-Rapha.
First, God heals our hurts by His presence. God will never leave us. He is with us in our darkest hours. Hang on to that knowledge and allow Him to walk with you and give you the strength you need to overcome anything.
Isaiah 43:2 (New International Version)
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Psalm 23:4 (New International Version)
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Second, God heals our hurts by His promise. God has promised us to deliver us from any pain, any trouble. All he requires is we believe in Him, believe in His son and believe He saved us from all our sins through His death on the cross. Yes, there will be times of suffering, but if we are faithful, he promises to see us through that suffering and offers us great reward. Take the first chapter of Joel, imagine standing there watching your crops, abundant and plentiful, laid to waste in a very short time, locust eating everything. You have lost everything, there are no stores (savings), nothing. However, in the very next chapter God gives us his promise....
Joel 2:25-26 (New International Version)
25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm [a]—
my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
Joshua 21:45 (New International Version)
45 Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Next, God heals our hurts through His people. Consider Paul, his suffering in the name of Jesus was great. However, he was able to use his suffering to speak directly to the hurts of others, to help heal them through the word of God. I know God saved me when He did so that I would have the sin and suffering I endured outside of Him to use in my dealings with others. I consider what I went through as my PhD level training on suffering. Who better to tell someone of the healing powers of God than someone who has experienced it themselves. Someone who has been there and can attest to them first hand.
2 Corinthians 1:3-6 (New International Version)
The God of All Comfort
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
Finally, God heals our hurts through his own suffering. Yes, God suffers. In fact, God took on our greatest suffering, our sin. He bore our suffering to save us, the greatest healing of all.
Isaiah 53:4-5 (New International Version)
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
That last line says it all....BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED!!!
If you are suffering today, take comfort in knowing God is with you, He will never leave you. He promises to bring you through it and reward you greatly on the other side. He will provide fellowship with others to help you through. People who have been where you are and who, through the grace of God, survived to be a better person in Christ. Finally, God knows your suffering because He bore the ultimate suffering for us, He saved us!!
Prayer:
Lord, Thank You for Your presence, promises, people and Your own sufferings to heal me. I endure suffering help me to know You are always with me, show me Your presence, let me feel Your protective arms around me. Bring Christian people into my life for fellowship and help in my worst times. Heal me Lord, Heal me through Your love and Your knowledge of suffering. Use my pain to help others. I trust in you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Being God's Vessel
Jeremiah 18:2-6 (New International Version)
2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Psalm 73:26 (New International Version)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Psalm 121:7 (New International Version)
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
Hebrews 12:7-11 (New International Version)
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
When I was about nine I got a pottery wheel for Christmas. I used to love placing a wet piece of clay on the wheel and to feel it spinning under my fingers. I would form a shape, then smash it and start forming something else. I would spend more time just building something up and then smashing it and starting over than actually making something. I loved the process more than the finished product. I did eventually make a few things and when they were fired and painted I would give them to my Mother and she would think they were beautiful, even though they really weren't!
Today's scripture makes me think of that story in a different light. God puts us on the potter's wheel and uses his hands to form us into the vessel he wills....be it a pot to hold a plant with strong roots, a vessel to pour out love or knowledge, a cup to hold the tea of friendship, a casserole dish to feed others. Each lump of clay becomes something different and unique. God is the Master Potter who shapes our lives.
However, there are times in our lives when we turn away from that purpose....something causes us to jump off that potter's wheel. We place a lid on the vessel God has created and place it on a shelf and it becomes dusty and is pushed behind other "more important" things on that shelf. We become sidetracked.
It is not God who has sidetracked us. It wasn't God who placed the vessel on the shelf. We are the ones who tightened the lid and and put ourselves on the shelf. I read a saying once, "If you feel far from God, guess who moved?". We are the ones who need to become obiedent to God , the Master Potter. He is still there ready to remold us with his Master plan...into the vessel of his will. He wants us to become as beautiful as that flawed piece of pottery my Mother displayed so proudly!!
Prayer:
Lord, You are the potter and I am the clay. Make me into a vessel of Your love, into the person You want me to be. I place my trust in You, as my ultimate parent. You know where my talent is needed. You know what vessel I need to be to best serve you. My clay is not perfect, but mold it into the best servant of Your word I can be. I know You love me and are concerned about me. Thank you for taking the time to mold me in Your image. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Psalm 73:26 (New International Version)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Psalm 121:7 (New International Version)
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
Hebrews 12:7-11 (New International Version)
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
When I was about nine I got a pottery wheel for Christmas. I used to love placing a wet piece of clay on the wheel and to feel it spinning under my fingers. I would form a shape, then smash it and start forming something else. I would spend more time just building something up and then smashing it and starting over than actually making something. I loved the process more than the finished product. I did eventually make a few things and when they were fired and painted I would give them to my Mother and she would think they were beautiful, even though they really weren't!
Today's scripture makes me think of that story in a different light. God puts us on the potter's wheel and uses his hands to form us into the vessel he wills....be it a pot to hold a plant with strong roots, a vessel to pour out love or knowledge, a cup to hold the tea of friendship, a casserole dish to feed others. Each lump of clay becomes something different and unique. God is the Master Potter who shapes our lives.
However, there are times in our lives when we turn away from that purpose....something causes us to jump off that potter's wheel. We place a lid on the vessel God has created and place it on a shelf and it becomes dusty and is pushed behind other "more important" things on that shelf. We become sidetracked.
It is not God who has sidetracked us. It wasn't God who placed the vessel on the shelf. We are the ones who tightened the lid and and put ourselves on the shelf. I read a saying once, "If you feel far from God, guess who moved?". We are the ones who need to become obiedent to God , the Master Potter. He is still there ready to remold us with his Master plan...into the vessel of his will. He wants us to become as beautiful as that flawed piece of pottery my Mother displayed so proudly!!
Prayer:
Lord, You are the potter and I am the clay. Make me into a vessel of Your love, into the person You want me to be. I place my trust in You, as my ultimate parent. You know where my talent is needed. You know what vessel I need to be to best serve you. My clay is not perfect, but mold it into the best servant of Your word I can be. I know You love me and are concerned about me. Thank you for taking the time to mold me in Your image. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Finding Favor with God
Genesis 6:8-22 (New International Version)
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress [a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. [b] 16 Make a roof for it and finish [c] the ark to within 18 inches [d] of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
John 3:16 (New International Version)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Psalm 19:14 (New International Version)
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Philippians 2:12-15 (New International Version)
Shining as Stars
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
When I sit back and watch the world, I notice so many people looking to find favor in the eyes of their fellow man. Politicians always making a power grab, trying to find favor with the world. Actors, musicians, business men, athletes, doctors....on and on you could go. Award shows, honors, man finding favor with man. I was on that road, working to find favor and move up a ladder....but how often do we try to find favor with man only to end up falling on our face in rejection?
It warms my heart to watch an award show and see a celebrity thank God before thanking anyone else. How much richer would this world be is people stopped trying to find favor in man but started trying to find favor in God.
It is an awesome thought to think you find favor in God, but when we accept God into our lives and allow him to walk with us daily, we DO find favor in the Lord. And there is never rejection from God.
When you read the story of Noah, it doesn't seem that far off from the world we are dealing with, full of sin and corruption. People out for themselves. Noah was alone in his walk with God. Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel like you are alone walking with God and the rest of the world is out there walking for their own success and accolades. Living a Godly life in today's world can often be very lonely. However, as God showed Noah, the rewards are great. Those living without God find death, Noah was spared, as are we through the Resurrection of our Lord.
God asks us to have a genuine faith, not a perfect faith. It isn't our surroundings that keep us in close fellowship with God, it is our heart that qualifies us to find friendship in God. Allowing the Holy Spirit to reside in our heart allows us to find favor with God. Through the Grace of God we never have to feel alone in a world that most of the time seems to be spinning out of control. God gives us grace to live victoriously!!
Prayer:
Father God, oh may I find favor with you. What an honor for Noah to be favored by You, yet I realize that he was obedient to Your Word. Give me a hunger to fall in love with Your Word and put it to work in my life. you are worthy of praise. Amen
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress [a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. [b] 16 Make a roof for it and finish [c] the ark to within 18 inches [d] of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
John 3:16 (New International Version)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Psalm 19:14 (New International Version)
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Philippians 2:12-15 (New International Version)
Shining as Stars
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
When I sit back and watch the world, I notice so many people looking to find favor in the eyes of their fellow man. Politicians always making a power grab, trying to find favor with the world. Actors, musicians, business men, athletes, doctors....on and on you could go. Award shows, honors, man finding favor with man. I was on that road, working to find favor and move up a ladder....but how often do we try to find favor with man only to end up falling on our face in rejection?
It warms my heart to watch an award show and see a celebrity thank God before thanking anyone else. How much richer would this world be is people stopped trying to find favor in man but started trying to find favor in God.
It is an awesome thought to think you find favor in God, but when we accept God into our lives and allow him to walk with us daily, we DO find favor in the Lord. And there is never rejection from God.
When you read the story of Noah, it doesn't seem that far off from the world we are dealing with, full of sin and corruption. People out for themselves. Noah was alone in his walk with God. Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel like you are alone walking with God and the rest of the world is out there walking for their own success and accolades. Living a Godly life in today's world can often be very lonely. However, as God showed Noah, the rewards are great. Those living without God find death, Noah was spared, as are we through the Resurrection of our Lord.
God asks us to have a genuine faith, not a perfect faith. It isn't our surroundings that keep us in close fellowship with God, it is our heart that qualifies us to find friendship in God. Allowing the Holy Spirit to reside in our heart allows us to find favor with God. Through the Grace of God we never have to feel alone in a world that most of the time seems to be spinning out of control. God gives us grace to live victoriously!!
Prayer:
Father God, oh may I find favor with you. What an honor for Noah to be favored by You, yet I realize that he was obedient to Your Word. Give me a hunger to fall in love with Your Word and put it to work in my life. you are worthy of praise. Amen
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Humbling yourself to Love
Matthew 5:38-48 (New International Version)
An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[a] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[c] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Human nature and our world tell us to demand our rights. If we are wronged, we should strike back, take up for ourselves, look out for number one. Perhaps you need to reevaluate who is number one in your life!!
Jesus calls us to demonstrate his love, always.
Matthew 22:37-40 (New International Version)
37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[a] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Did you get that? Jesus tells us the "first and greatest commandment" is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. But he didn't stop there, "the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." God commands us to love. He puts high value on our ability to react to people, all people, with love. We are to live on a higher plane of love.
Yes, being up there on that higher plane can be difficult. It often allows others to take advantage of us, to hurt us. However, is that any different than the world's treatment of God himself? Is God not taken advantage of on a daily basis? However, He has never allowed that to alter his character and he calls us to live the same way. We cannot allow the treatment we receive from others to alter our character, alter who we have become through the Holy Spirit. We must remain steadfast in His love and portray that love to the world, all of the world, in return.
Love expands itself. It gives the ultimate and in it's giving it disarms the enemy. Love even loves its enemies and in compassion prays for those who persecute it. Love cannot restrain its affection - not if it is God's love. Love lives on a higher plane.
Whenever you turn the other cheek, or give away your coat, or walk an extra mile, or give to the one who wants to borrow, you must remember that you are doing it out of love. Love does not demand its rights or ask for its just reward. Love is the true intent of our Lord's words.
Prayer:
"My human nature rebels against the thought of allowing someone to take advantage of me. Help me to remember, Father, that You are molding me into the image of Your Son, who humbled Himself in obedience, even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). I pray that my life, my words, my responses, my relationships, will be controlled by the love of Christ expressed through me. Help me to walk in meekness, offering mercy and grace rather than demanding justice. In Jesus name we pray, Amen"
An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[a] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[c] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Human nature and our world tell us to demand our rights. If we are wronged, we should strike back, take up for ourselves, look out for number one. Perhaps you need to reevaluate who is number one in your life!!
Jesus calls us to demonstrate his love, always.
Matthew 22:37-40 (New International Version)
37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[a] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Did you get that? Jesus tells us the "first and greatest commandment" is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. But he didn't stop there, "the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." God commands us to love. He puts high value on our ability to react to people, all people, with love. We are to live on a higher plane of love.
Yes, being up there on that higher plane can be difficult. It often allows others to take advantage of us, to hurt us. However, is that any different than the world's treatment of God himself? Is God not taken advantage of on a daily basis? However, He has never allowed that to alter his character and he calls us to live the same way. We cannot allow the treatment we receive from others to alter our character, alter who we have become through the Holy Spirit. We must remain steadfast in His love and portray that love to the world, all of the world, in return.
Love expands itself. It gives the ultimate and in it's giving it disarms the enemy. Love even loves its enemies and in compassion prays for those who persecute it. Love cannot restrain its affection - not if it is God's love. Love lives on a higher plane.
Whenever you turn the other cheek, or give away your coat, or walk an extra mile, or give to the one who wants to borrow, you must remember that you are doing it out of love. Love does not demand its rights or ask for its just reward. Love is the true intent of our Lord's words.
Prayer:
"My human nature rebels against the thought of allowing someone to take advantage of me. Help me to remember, Father, that You are molding me into the image of Your Son, who humbled Himself in obedience, even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). I pray that my life, my words, my responses, my relationships, will be controlled by the love of Christ expressed through me. Help me to walk in meekness, offering mercy and grace rather than demanding justice. In Jesus name we pray, Amen"
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