Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Example of Christ! Romans 15

Good morning everyone,
It is difficult, to say the least, that we live like we should live.  But Jesus Christ gives us example after example of how He lived His life for all of us to use Him as our role model.  Romans 15 talks about Him being the 'example!'  He lived His life not to please himself, but to please the Father!  Patience and comfort were characteristics that He wanted us to show others so that they could have hope.  That what we say and how we live would be similar and they would both glorify God!  Joy and peace are to be other characteristics that we give to others so that they may believe!  Many people that you and I encounter on a daily basis are searching for answers to why they are here and what they should believe.  It is our duty to be ready to offer them the 'truth!'  Some will listen and some will not.  Will you be ready to offer them the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ?  John 14:6 says, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.'  Many believe that there are many ways to get the answers that they so desperately are looking for but the reality is there is only One who can supply those answers.  It is my prayer that we will help steer those individuals back to the One who created them and that is Jesus Christ!  
Your brother in Christ,
p

Monday, July 25, 2011

Do you boast about your own accomplishments or do you let others? Proverbs 27

Good morning everyone,
One of the struggles that I've had throughout the years is the problem of humility.  Many times I will expect praises inwardly for the things I do instead of just doing it for the glory of the Lord.  Do any of you struggle with that?  Proverbs 27 addresses that and tells us that we should not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.  Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.  There is something that is humanly enticing when others tell you what a good job you have done!  It is a slippery slope because before you know it, you start expecting it and then you will most likely be disappointed.  Deborah has to remind me quite often that I shouldn't expect acknowledgment for the things that I should do anyway!  Just do it with a grateful heart or don't do it and be disappointed!  Don't do it expecting praise but pray that you do it because your Father smiles when you do it with a grateful heart!  Help us Father to be reminded that doing things with a grateful heart is the key to keeping us in line with Your pure and perfect will! Help us to be a living reflection of who You are and maybe that will be the key to a lost person coming to know You!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Sing of His mercies! Psalm 89

Good morning everyone,
Psalm 89 opens up by saying that 'I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.'  Are you singing of His mercy and His faithfulness to You?  It is very easy to get into that frame of mind where you feel like poor pitiful me!  One thing after another seems to squash your sense of control that you have on your current situation.  No matter what you do, you can't catch a break!  If you feel that way, don't you think it is about time to turn your situations over to the Lord.  The Scripture tells us to trust the Lord not only in the good times but also in the tough times.  If we do that, He is faithful and just to carry us when we simply can't carry ourselves!  I have several friends that are going through situations right now that are very scary.  Yet they continue to praise His name because they know the situation that they are going through takes much more faith than what they can muster up!  Trust Him and continue to sing of His mercies both in the good and the bad times and grow ever closer to Him!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Monday, July 18, 2011

Do you truly trust God in all areas of your life? Psalm 25:2

Good morning to all,
It is difficult to say the least for any of us to trust 100% of the time, but that is what our Father wants us to do with Him!  Psalm 25:2 says, 'O my God, in You I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.'  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.'  What great promises we have been given if we will just trust and obey!  When it doesn't even make sense, He is there to make our pathways maneuverable.  In order to trust Him, we have to be willing to be silent when we reach out to Him.  In other words, when we pray, do we give Him the opportunity to answer, or do we keep on talking all the more, trying to fill in the gaps for Him (taken from Oswald Chambers-A Holy Occupation)?  He is the Creator of the Universe!  When we ask Him to take care of our problem, shouldn't we let it go so that He can deal with it in the way that He sees fit?  Our dilemma is that we try and hold on to our 
problem and for what reason?  He is the best problem solver of all and we think we know better!  Interesting analogy!  If we are to hear from our maker, we need to listen for His still small voice and trust Him completely to take care of all our needs!  Two ears to hear; one mouth to speak!  Ask Him to help you be silent so that He can speak to you so you can take in all that He wants to say!  If you feel some days you are going through the 'dry desert' and nothing comes easy(prayer life, reading the Word, fellowship with others), you are right where He wants you.  Now He has you so He can speak to you so He can give you instructions you need!  May God richly Bless you as you seek His face!
Your brother in Christ,
p         

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Alone time with God! Matthew 14:23

Good morning everyone,
Do you spend alone time with God or does life have you so tangled up that you can find no time to spare Him?  Matthew 14:23 says, 'After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.'  Mark 6:46 says, 'After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray.'  Jesus was always finding a way to have alone time with the Father.  He had no more free time than any of us because people were always demanding time with Him! Yet, He made Himself available to spend time with the Father because He knew that it was important!  How you spend your day is important to the Father also! Ask Him to free up time in your busy schedule so that you can see more clearly what He wants you to accomplish.  Alot of the things you think are important really aren't in the scope of the 'big picture.'  Once He shows you time that is available, make sure and utilize the opportunity to get to know Him better.  You will be amazed at results!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Restoration is needed! Psalm 80:7

Good morning everyone,
I don't know about you but it appears bleak at best for our nation as we know it!  People insist on doing it their own way and they continue to go down a path that is very slippery!  Our debt continues to surmount and it appears there is no recovery.  What hope is there for our children and their children unless we turn away from our wicked ways so that He can restore us?  Psalm 80:7 says, 'Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!'  Our only hope is to put aside our greed and to seek His face.  We serve either the risen Savior or we serve mammon (wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion).  Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 both indicate that we can not serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  It is interesting how evident that is when you start to see that tithing is directly connected to your walk with the Lord!  Are we giving to the Lord in all the areas that He expects or we holding back justifying that we have no time and no money?  Tithe not only your finances but also you time and energy!  But I'm too tired!  Wait a minute; who is the one who created you?  Don't you think He is able to create in you a clean heart and a restored heart?  When life implodes in around you, thank Him and see what happens!  We all have the same 24 hours in a day!  How are you going to spend the time that has been allotted to you?  Ask Him to free up time that is irrelevant so that you can use the time in a more pleasing way to the Savior!  May God richly Bless you as you seek His face!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

When you pray, do you allow for silence, or do you expect an answer right away? John 17

Good morning everyone,
When we pray, do we get in a hurry to expect answers in our time or in God's time?  Remember, God has a different time line than we do!  When we pray, God wants us in total communion with Him.  Oswald Chambers reminds us that if we only take as answers those prayers that are visible to our senses, we are in a very elementary condition of grace.  Read John 17 and find out what God is after for your life!  When you pray, God expects you to give Him a chance to answer according to His will and that may take time.  Don't go to God expecting answers according to your will or you will probably be disappointed!  Exchange more than a Morse code for help or a last ditch effort and make prayer a regular part of your day.  When you see any concern throughout the day, let God be the one to determine if the concern is worthy of prayer or not!  You just lift it up to Him in Jesus name and then let your faith be grounded in trusting that His will is going to be done!  Don't hinge your relationship on a slot machine but on the 'grounded' faith of a mustard seed.  The closer you get to the Savior, the more you will see His divine nature at work!  May God richly Bless each of you as you serve Him with your whole heart!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Dependent or Independent? 1 Corinthians 11:11-12

Good morning everyone,
As a nation, we just celebrated our 235th anniversary of freedom from oppression and from that comes our independence!  There is an interesting contrast between that independence and our dependence on our Lord and Savior!  Just like men and women who have died for you and I so that we could have the freedom that we enjoy, Jesus Christ died on the cross so that all could be free from their sins!  There may come a day when we as a nation will no longer enjoy the independence to have the freedoms that we have so much enjoyed over those years.  Regardless of who controls you while you are living and breathing, remember that no one can take away the gift that Jesus Christ gave you when He died on the cross.  He gave you a reason to be dependent on Him so that you could have eternal life with the Father!  A cross road of sorts for you to choose (independence) whom you will serve (dependence)?  Think of a yo yo and how the string recoils and releases as the wrist twists and turns.   Our Lord gives us a leash to explore and then a resting place when He pulls us back in to His bosom!  Never too far but far enough for us to encourage others to be dependent on the One who gave His life for them!  'Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman.  And all things are from God.'  
Your brother in Christ,
p

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Are you vigilant about protecting your heart? Proverbs 4:23

Good morning everyone,
Proverbs 4:23 says, 'Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.'  Well how do you do that?  Psalm 91:14 says, 'Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name.'  How often do you call on the Lord?  Is He your last ditch effort just to call upon when you are in the midst of a mess and you need bailing out, or is He your go to guy all the time?  If He is your last ditch effort, how can you really know Him?  Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a man who authored some 30 books in his 41 years of life.  His heart was devoted to his Lord and Savior.  In one of those books, Prayer-A Holy Occupation, he asks the question, 'What temptation do I continually give in to?  Instead of praying, "Give me the strength to resist" (which God has already done), what might happen if I were to pray, "Give me the will to use the strength You have made available?"  Sometimes we bang our head against the wall not using the brain that He has given us to limit the frustration that we are up against on a daily basis.  More so, we allow satan to creep into our heart through the back door not protecting the very core of our soul!  Our Father wants to dine with us and He wants to spend time with you to show you the ways that you can protect yourself from that happening!  The result will flow forth 'springs of life!'  God Bless each of you as you take time to show the Creator how important He is to you so that He can show you just how important you are to Him! 
Your brother in Christ,
p     

Monday, July 4, 2011

Celebrate today with Thanksgiving! Philippians 4:6-7

Hello everyone,
Let us enjoy this day and thank the Lord Jesus for the Independence that we so take for granted.    Philippians 4:6-7 says, 'And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts, and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.'  What are you thankful for today?  Do you thank Him for all that He has done for you?  Is your glass half empty most of the time or is it half full all of the time?  Do you find ways and ask Him to show you ways of why you should be thankful?  We can go along the path of life and not really ever extend our selves if we are not careful!  Make a conscious effort to look for those things that you can be thankful for today and let that be the start of a beautiful thing.  The more you praise and honor the Creator, the more your appreciation for the littlest things will come to be!  You could be a great influence on people who have always viewed the messes instead of the  masterpieces!    
Your brother inn Christ,
p

Sunday, July 3, 2011

The reason to celebrate! Colossians 2:16-17

Good morning everyone,
Do you celebrate because more of a tradition and because that is the way it has always been done or do you celebrate because of the root of the celebration?  We are just getting ready to celebrate July 4, 2011 as the 235th year of freedom for our nation!  Do we just enjoy the food, fellowship, fireworks and another reason to party, or do we stop and thank our Heavenly Father for why we are celebrating?  When we have an anniversary of our marriage yearly, do we stop and thank our Father for another year of growing closer to Him and each other or do we just chalk it up to getting old together?  Colossians 2:16-17 says, 'Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.  These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.'  The part that really stands out to me in this passage is the word substance because really every good emotion or feeling of celebration that we exhibit really belongs to Jesus Christ.  James 1:17 says, 'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.'  Celebrations, concerts, sporting events and the list goes on and on; they will come and go but, our Lord and Savior never changes.  The point that He never changes should be what we focus on no matter what emotional state or mood that we occupy!  Thank Him for being able to laugh and celebrate together and never forget that He is the One that allowed you to have those emotions and feelings.  As you celebrate the 4th of July this year, remember that freedom comes at a price and the One who gave you the opportunity to enjoy that freedom is Jesus Christ when He paid the ultimate price by being nailed to the cross some 2000 years ago for you and me!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Friday, July 1, 2011

Where in the world do we find 'Opportunity?'Galatians 6:10

Hello again everyone,
Yes, I am still alive and I feel empty for not taking the time to send out a blog in the last two weeks.  Please forgive me and pray that I will get back on track to get out the message that God has in store for me.  In saying all of that, I do believe that there is a season for everything.  Over the last couple of weeks, I've experienced a different kind of bonding with the Lord.  He has asked me to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).  That is very difficult for someone like me who is very task oriented.  Galatians 6:10 says, 'So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.'  My pastor has reminded me a number of times that God can use you in any place that He chooses!  It isn't just in the places that we chose!  We have a tendency to limit our ministry by thinking that once we have a spot that we feel comfortable in, we stop exploring for additional opportunities.  In other words, we stop looking for opportunities that God places right before our eyes.  He stretches us but we lose our elasticity!  When we start seeing trials as blessings in our life, that is when we really truly grow in the Lord.  Do everything you do as to the glory of the Lord!  People are looking for answers.  If you happen to cross their path (and nothing happens by chance) and you have something different to offer them, there is a 50/50 chance that they will listen.  Looking at every opportunity from that prospective, if the Lord allows their ears to hear, their eyes to see, and their hearts to receive, then you have the opportunity to give them something that has been lacking and that is the gift of Jesus Christ!
Your brother in Christ,
p