Friday, March 30, 2012

Have you been fooled lately? Exodus 23:1; James 3:14-15

Good morning everyone,
Have you ever played a joked on someone by telling them the biggest lie you can fabricate? Then after convincing them you say, 'April Fools!'  Well April 1st is just around the corner and beware because you might be fooled the way satan trys to fool  us everyday.  See, he is the biggest fabricator of all because he trys to convince folks all the time that there is no problem in living a lie!  We try and pass off April 1st as a practical joke, when in reality, it should be a reminder that a fabricated story is made up with part truths and part lies.  If we are not careful, we start to live a life of fabrications!  One lie leads to another lie and then we become consumed by embellishing every aspect of our life.  The closer we become to the Savior, the more we realize that part truths are not true at all.  We have to guard our hearts against the false hopes that satan trys to sell us.  Exodus 23:1 says, 'You shall not spread a false report.  You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.'  We are fooled into believing that spreading false reports gives us power.  The minute you ask the Holy Spirit to rule in your heart, the very moment satan has no power to give that false sense of hope.  James 3:14-15 tells us to seek wisdom from above!  'But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.' When you are under attack from satan, may you be reminded that the Holy Spirit is there to guide you back to the Truth!    
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Where in the world are you? 2 Samuel 22:4; Psalm 18:3

Good morning everyone,
I look for you but I can't find you!  It may have been a while since I've seen you, but I still think about you.  Each one of you are precious in His sight and He cares about what is going on in your life even though I may forget about you!  See, it is literally impossible for me to remember you constantly and pray for your every need.  But, there is One who does that everyday, even though you may not take time to worship Him!  The picture that I want you to formulate this morning is that you have a Savior who is ready to save you from every possible situation that you can imagine.  Do you really trust Him to do that?  Both 2 Samuel 22:4 and Psalm 18:3 tells us that I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.  All you have to do is call out to Him and note that He is worthy of praise and the result will be that He saves you!  But Paul, that sounds to simple.  The problem is most of the time that our self gets in the way.  When we doubt His ability, we lose sight of who He is!  It doesn't matter that you've run from Him for a long time; it matters that you allow Him to catch you now and change you.  As long as He gives you air to breathe, He can change you in an instant and still use you.  No matter how far gone or lost you feel, He is ready to transform you into something so much more!!  When we have calamities and allow Jesus Christ to shine through, we show others that there is a better Way!  To be effective for the kingdom, ask God to use you wherever you are to reflect His presence in your life.  People are looking for answers and it might just be your situation that God uses to change their hearts toward Him.  Seek Him; Praise Him; Honor Him!
Your brother in Christ,
p    

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Joy in the morning! Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 30:5

Good morning everyone,
When you feel like giving up, Nehemiah reminds us that the joy of the Lord is your strength.  You may be weak when it comes to physical strength and you may feel as though you want to give up, but the Holy Spirit gives you strength that endures.  This morning as you awake, remember that this is the day that the Lord has made and let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Wherever you are at in your Christian walk, remember that God wants to get your attention so that He can minister to you personally.  You invest in the relationship with Him and He will make sure you have the necessary weapons to defend when the enemy attacks.  You may lose your ability to do things physically but you can always rest assured that you can live on His promises.  All the grief that satan trys to put upon you can quickly dissipate if you allow the Holy Spirit to quench.  We battle an inward problem with allowing our selfishness to get in the way.  Ask God to help you to get out of the way so that He can show you the Way!  Psalm 30:5 tells us that His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.  God gives hope to the weary.  Isaiah 40:31 says, 'but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.'  His favor is for a lifetime!  Trusting Him now assures that when you leave this place physically, He is going to give you a brand new body that will last forever.  One that won't grow tired and become weary!  Woo Hoo!  Whatever issues you are faced with only last for a season.  Remember that our actions going through those seasons reflect who He is or isn't in our life!  Choose today whom you will serve and let the healing begin!
Your brother in Christ,
p     

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

One thought at a time! Luke 1:50-52

Good morning everyone,
If I told you that being a Christian is a cake walk, I would be leading you down a path that doesn't exist.  I struggle with the same struggles that each of you struggle with but I've learned that with Christ, all paths are changeable to His liking!  In other words, we all arrive at intersections and we have choices of which direction we are going to go.  If we fully go the direction that is appealing to the our human desires, we are going to disappoint Him 100% of the time.  But if we pray about going His direction and we allow Him to be the driver instead of the passenger, we will make the decisions that are pleasing to Him.  Some of those decisions, if not a lot of them, are really tough ones to make.  The closer that we grow to Him, the easier those decisions become!  Everyday is a challenge because I like things that appeal to my senses.  When those desires become more important than considering what He deems important, that will result in disappointment.  See every desire lasts for a season.  Then we have to search out the next gadget that appeals to our desires.  Today we have the Ipad, Imac, and the list goes on and on.  We have become such a technological world that our minds are always thinking.  Thinking about things that aren't necessarily important in the scope of His kingdom.  The more 'face time' we have with Him, the less likely we will be interested in things that are 'temporary fulfillment.'  The goal is to become like Him and in order to do that, we have to understand Him!  Take time with Him today and ask Him to show you what He deems important.  Ask Him to change you one thought at a time!  Luke 1:50-52 says, 'His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.  He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.'
Your brother in Christ,
p

Friday, March 23, 2012

His promises; past, present and future! Titus 2:11-14

Good morning everyone,
Sometimes we forget all that He has promised!  Titus 2:11-14 are good verses to read so that we can be reminded and encouraged.  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.  If you look up the word zealous, it can be described as:  full of, characterized by, or due to zeal; ardently active, devoted, or diligent.  I love the words devoted and diligent because that describes our Lord and Savior.  He committed to us long before we ever committed to Him.  1 Peter 3:13 says, 'Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?'  He wants us to commit to Him so that we have hope for the present and the future.  History is His story lived out and what better way to be part of that history than to be zealous for Him!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Do you tolerate other people well? Psalm 145:9

Good morning everyone,
If I ask you the question, 'Do you have tolerance for other people's pain, what would be your response?'  Are there certain days when you have more patience than others?  Sometimes I think God presents a situation to me and I simply close my eyes and look the other way.  What?  Well, I'm in a hurry Lord and I just don't have time to reach out to that person right now.  Don't you find that when you are busiest and in a hurry that you go by a situation and you think back later you should have done something different?  Has your heart become so calloused that you simply don't give hurting folks a second look?  One day I was in one of those hurry moments when the Holy Spirit spoke into my heart and said, 'Well at least you could pray!'  See, God wants us to stop, not physically always, but He wants our attention.  He understands that we all have more on our plate than we should have or need to have, but He also knows that our attention is what He needs to have from us first.  Once He has our attention and we start realizing that people all around us are hurting, then He wants us to look and see their pain through His eyes!  Psalm 116:4-6 tells us about a condition that we are all faced with without Him ruling our hearts.  Then I called on the name of the Lord:   "Lord, save me!"  The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.  The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, then He saved me.  Maybe you ask Him to save you along time ago and God Bless you but we live in a world of hurting people.  People that don't understand that they need to call out to the Lord and ask Him to save them.  It might just be your compassion that brings them to the point that they realize they need the Savior.  See, God puts us in situations to see if we will stop long enough so that He can use us more effectively!  When we start giving our heart over to Him, He will show you what you can remove from your plate so that you have time that you didn't know existed!  Compassion is a gift from God and the compassion that He has shown you is the same compassion that He wants you to show to others.  Psalm 145:9 sums it up well; The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.   
Your brother in Christ,
p

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Do you like status quo or are you ready for change? Jeremiah 7:5-6

Good morning everyone,
Are you concerned about the things you can change or the things you wish you could change?  Everyday, I try and encourage folks to stay positive about what they experience!  My wife would beg to differ sometimes because she sees me at my worst.  But more so than not, the reason for my success in what I do is the ability to not let all the distractions determine my output.  I have the same frustrations that the next person has, but for the most part, I stay focused on the things that I can do.  For those things I can't do, I try and let them go.  See, God has given me this 'special ability.'  I believe each of you has been given the same opportunity to seize the moment.  You may ask me, how?  Well, it starts with gratitude with where you are at!  Next, enjoy the moment.  When you give Him praise and honor for whatever your situation is, His light will shine.  It may be a different result than what you expected but it will be a result that will be more of Him and less of you!  Mark 12:33 tells us to love Him with all our heart, with all our understanding, with all our strength, and to love our neighbor like we love ourselves.  That is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices in the world.  Maybe you don't love yourself.  Well, the way that starts is knowing that God loves you!  If you believe that He loves you, then you can believe that He wants you to love yourself and to share that love with others.  See, the core of our being has to be love!  He created us so that we would share that love with everyone that He has blessed to cross our path (not just a chosen few) so He doesn't want us to discriminate.  Ask God to show you how to love the homeless, the down and out, the ones who have given up, the ones who rub you the wrong way.  You were once down and out and you needed a hand.  Do you remember the last dilemma you had?  Who helped you get through it?  You think you did it by yourself?  If you believe that, you need to get on your knees and pray.  God may have allowed all those broken things to happen in your life so that He could get your attention.  Does He have it yet?
Why not?  Do you love living in misery?  If you don't want to be there, ask the Heart Surgeon to do open heart surgery on you and change that hardened heart.  Praise Him, Praise Him, and Praise Him!  When God hears us worship Him when we hurt, He knows that we are finally getting it.  Life is not a retirement where you live without problems and issues.  Real life begins when you see that dilemmas with praise are miracles lived out!  The only way that can happen is by allowing Him to change you from the inside out!  Jeremiah 7:5-6 says, 'If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and no not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you don't follow other gods to your own harm.'  Anything outside of Him is going to be a life of toilsome misery!  Start right now giving Him praise and see how He changes you!
Your brother in Christ,
p   

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Safely back in His arms! 2 Timothy 4:17-18

Good morning everyone,
Yesterday morning I got to meet the little 3 year old boy whose name is Felix that was the escape artist who got away from his mother during the night.  In a room of 5 people with a stomach ache, Felix used a chair to remove the hasp on the door to go exploring.  I suppose in his adventure to soothe his pain, he was rounded up by an employee of the hotel who then called the police and the search for family ensued.  After his return safely to his mother, it made me think about our protection that we get from the Father on an ongoing basis.  When we think we are alone, we need to remember that His embrace is right in the midst of wherever we are at!  Something much bigger than physical protection is spiritual protection that Paul talks about in 2 Timothy 4:17-18:  'But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.  So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be the glory forever and ever,   Amen.'  Ladies and gentlemen, do you think those verses apply to you?  We have the same crowd to tell our story to today.  By you telling your story of what God has done in your life, not your will but His will is going to be accomplished!  The unbelieving will believe.  Who believes is up to Him!  You just be faithful in telling your story and He will start to 'unlock' hearts in the Gentiles  (unbelieving people) that you encounter.  Don't be scared; just be faithful!  Let us explore together and find out something a three year old possibly already knows.  Look at life through the eyes of a three year old and let God lead and guide you through the adventure that you possibly missed the first time around.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how He can use even you!
Your brother in Christ,
p   

Monday, March 19, 2012

Are you listening? John 10:27

Good morning everyone,
Have you ever awoken from your sleep in a daze with someone knocking on your door rather loudly?  Startled and confused I stumbled to open it to find two police officers looking for the parents of a child wandering the hall ways of the hotel where I am staying.  I was instantly brought to prayer to ask God to help them find the missing parent or parents to reunite them together.  It also brings up the point this morning; is God knocking on the door of your heart and are you listening?  Are you just allowing Him to knock or are you answering the knock?  Life is full of what I call attention getter's!  Many times He attempts to get our attention but we refuse to respond to Him.  We ignore the rapping on our heart strings because we are so busy doing our own thing.  When we listen to what He has to say, He more than likely gives us a whole new agenda!  See, when we take our eyes off of our own issues and we place them on Him, He gives us a whole new set of things to be concerned about.  In John 10:27, Jesus tells us that, "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow me."  Another time I was staying in a hotel and I arrived in the evening to find a hearse at the front door.  If that has ever happen to you, instantly a cold chill will ensue.  In my case, I was brought to prayer, praying for those members of the family that were left behind.  What brings you to prayer?  Does it have to be something drastic before you have face time with the Father?  See, the attention getter's are to remind us that He wants to have more time with us than just emergency situations!  Folks, we don't know how much time we have left on this earth so we have to treat everyday like it is the day that we will meet Jesus face to face.  He is knocking!  Open up your heart and let Him in so that He can do heart surgery and then you will start to see radical change!  You may think you are too far gone for Him to listen to you.  I beg to differ!  Change is hard because it involves doing things differently than what you've become accustomed to doing.  1 Samuel 10:6 tells us that when the Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully upon you, you will be changed into a different person.  The older we are, the harder change is to accept unless we say today I am going to listen to His voice! Not tomorrow; TODAY is the day for you to be radically changed!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Is your hope in the One who can save you? Psalm 25:4-6

Good morning brothers and sisters,
I pray that each of you has the time to spend with the Father this morning and are able to worship with Him.  Wherever you are at, please take the time to stop what you are doing and give Him praise and honor!  It will make all the difference in the world!  When you hear the phrase, 'Savior of the world,' do you think that He is referring to saving you or someone else?  Psalm 25:4-6 tells us to ask the Lord to show us His ways.  'Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths.  Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.  Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and unfailing love, which You have shown from long ages past.'  The door is open and He is ready to invite you in so that He can teach you His ways!   His ways show compassion and unfailing love and He wants us to share that with the world that doesn't think that He is referring to them.  Most folks feel like they are too far gone in order to be saved.  Remind them that all have been lost and all have fallen short of the glory of God!  Once He teaches us His ways, He doesn't just drop us off at the next bus stop; he guides us and directs us.  He continues to approach us with the same love and compassion that He has always freely given even though we may not have accepted that love up to this point!  My point is that now is the time to accept Him and know that He has a plan for you.  See, He didn't just create you because He had a project in art class.  The 'Greatest Artist' of all doesn't need practice!  He created us as  'special beings' and the least we can do is show Him honor and praise!  It is never too late until the Artist draws the final picture!!  Start right now, today, serving Him and Him only!  He will show you the Way!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Have you become 'old' in your thinking? Matthew 18:1-6

Good morning everyone,
In Matthew 18:1-6, Jesus tells the disciples that we all need to be like children or we will not enter the kingdom.  (1) At the time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  (2) And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them (3) and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  (4) Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  (5) Whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me, (6) but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."  Has your way of thinking become old and stale?  Ladies and gentlemen, children need direction that is toward Him or they will fall into the same pits along the road that you've traveled.  Unless you humble yourself daily, you may think you have it all figured out, but God needs to remind each of us that our thinking has to be His way or we will end up in a 'lost' way!  See, no matter how much wisdom you think you have, you will never know enough to find His way unless you get rid of those nasty 'old' habits that you've picked up along the way.  Make your way 'His way.'  The above verses tell us that children are teachable and they are humble.  Are you teachable or have you got it all figured out?  Do you humbly ask the Father to change you on the inside daily?
Children mirror what we do and Jesus is asking all of us to live like Him so that they will follow suit!  Remember also that God is able to change us no matter what condition we've become.  All you need to do is reach out to Him and ask Him to change you one thought at a time!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Are you allowing God to clean out the chaff in your life? Psalm 1:4, Matthew 3:12

Good morning everyone,
This is a great time of the year!  I always love to see the trees that are bare that have tiny little buds on the end of each limb that are starting to appear.  Those little buds represent new growth and a new season.  Those little buds represent God giving us new hope and new direction in our lives.  You and I both can be assured that He wants to prune us and to develop us into the men and women that He can use for the Kingdom.  Growth sometimes hurts but it is vital whether it be a tree or it be your walk with the Lord!  The dead in us has to be done away with before the growth can flourish.  If you hold onto the dead, there is no room for the growth to take place!  All of us have to allow God to work in and through us for the wheat to be separated from the chaff!  Psalm 1:4 tells us that the wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.  If you allow Him to, He will separate you from the things that are not good for you.  There will have to be adjustments in your life but by leaning on His ever lasting arms, He will help you get rid of the chaff in your life.  Matthew 3:12 tells us that His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.  When you throw a hand full of wheat into the air that has been freshly picked, the unwanted husk or chaff will separate or blow away and the good part will fall down and be gathered!  Change is good when we allow Him to separate us from the things that drag us down.
Your brother in Christ,
p

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

How many days has God given you? Job 27:3-4

Good morning to all,
Unless you have received a vision from God Himself, I'm not sure how many days any of us have been guaranteed!  If I told you that Jesus Christ was going to visit your home tomorrow, would you do anything different about your life?  All of us have a limited number of days that we will be here on this earth and that time is intended for us to grow in the knowledge and ways of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Ecclesiastes 5:18 tells us that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them--for this is their lot.  Everything is in vain unless it is done for the Lord!  You might think that you've discovered the key to long life.  Okay, maybe you get a few extra years because God sees fit for you to hang on 30 or 40 years more than your family and friends!  If you outlive them, maybe you live to be a 120 or so.  But in the big scope of things, life is short and we've got a lot of work to do!  Are you willing to put aside what you think is important and ask Him to show you what is important?  Consider that He accomplishes the Fathers will whether you get on board or not!  He wants us to find satisfaction in serving Him in whatever capacity that He sees fit and for us to not spin our wheels doing things that are in vain!  When you realize that you are part of the plan, then you will realize that your life is so much more!  No matter what life brings you, consider what Job 27:3-4 says; 'as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies.'  Right now, right where you are standing, God wants you to serve Him and Him only.  You say you'll think about it!  I've still got time.  Ask Him to change you right where you stand so that you see things through His eyes.  Then your life will have a sense of urgency that allows Him to use your life to accomplish the things that are important!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Are you still yoked to slavery? 1 Timothy 6:1

Good morning everyone,
Yoke is described in a number of ways both literally and figuratively.  Literally it means a bar of wood, so constructed as to unite two animals (usually oxen), enabling them to work in the fields, drawing loads, pulling instruments used for farming.  Figuratively, it is a symbol of slavery (1 Timothy 6:1).  What is more important to you than a personal relationship with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?  Anything we place above that relationship becomes what we are slaves to!  When we are enslaved to the 'collar', we are controlled by forces that are not of God.  Unless we surrender the 'yoke of oppression' to the Lord, the burden becomes too much.  When we see others overcome with similar burdens, we should help them bear those burdens to fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).  See, by us casting each burden on the Lord, He will sustain us!  He will never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22)!   When we know Him and we hold fast to Him in love, He will deliver us.  He will protect those that know Him by name (Psalm 91:14)!  If we place everything at the Masters feet, your yoke will become easy and your burdens will become light (Matthew 11:30)!  Remember that anything you have is really nothing that you need to carry unless it praises the One that ask you to carry it!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Friday, March 9, 2012

What is your story? Psalm 107:1-3

Good morning everyone,
I recently attended the men's prayer breakfast at our church and Sammie Cayton gave his testimony and he talked about the fact that we should all have a story to tell.  Psalm 107:1-3 says that we should give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story--those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.  No matter who you are, if you know the Lord, you have been redeemed from the hand of the foe!  Hallelujah!  If you are not in a relationship with your Lord and Savior, you are still in bondage!  It is either one or the other.  And if you have been freed from the enemy, why wouldn't it be a wondrous thing to tell those you meet.  See, you don't really have to get all up in arms and beat someone over the head to share your story.  People are people and people are searching for answers to their problems.  If you are genuine about having been lost until you were found, people will listen.  Will they all come into a personal relationship with God?  Probably not, but who are you to pick and choose which people you tell your story to?  Your story is unique and not a cookie cutter product!  I love to tell my story when given the opportunity because it gets more precious the older I get.  I was once lost and now I'm found.  Boldness comes from the Truth setting you free!  If you will let people know how dirty your clothes were before they were made clean, they may just want to have the same 'Super Detergent'  clean them!  If God has made you clean, tell folks because your story might touch someone that needs to know He cares about them also!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Majestic in holiness! Exodus 15:11

Good morning everyone,
When you think of majestic, I think of the word 'magnificent!'  God created the heavens and the earth and in His creation, there are many things that should catch our attention and make us stop in our tracks.  I'm blown away at the splendor and majesty that are displayed.  With that said, since He created those displays and He considers us more important than those, how can we ever doubt His love for us!  Exodus 15:11 says, 'Who among the gods is like you, Lord?  Who is like you--majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?'  See His handy work should be a constant reminder of who He is!  That is to get our attention so that we focus on the more important point and that is to enter into holiness with Him!  He has invited us to the 'grandest' party of all and that is into His Holiness.  A Spiritual awakening has happened in my heart to the point of me wanting to serve Him and Him only.  I invite you to go along with me and experience His holiness.  By the way, there is no other god like Him!  It doesn't get any better than the majestic, all powerful, magnificent Lord that we are to serve!  Quit trying to find that god that you want to create to satisfy your own worldly needs.  Confess to Him that you want Him and Him only.  Psalm 29:2 tells us to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.  His name alone represents who He is and what He should stand for in your life!  Lord of all means everything and that includes you and I!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Consider what to do when you've tried your way! Psalm 119:2-4

Good morning everyone,
God allows some plenty and some He allows not as much!  He knows what we are capable of and He knows how much we can handle.  Does it ever bother you when you are limited with your efforts?  You know what needs to happen, but you are not in a position to carry out those needs.  You feel as though your hands are tied.  Frustration after frustration ends in you either banging your head against the wall and you get a head ache or you turn it over to the One who can take care of your problems.  Usually when this chain of events has taken place, I've tried to consider my ways without even asking Him what He thinks.  Anytime that happens, the results will be anything but His desired results.  My problem is not giving Him the situation fully.  See, I want to take part of the situation and fix it according to Paul's solution and not God's solution.  Psalm 119:2-4 says, 'Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart--they do no wrong but follow His ways.  You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.'    This past weekend, Deborah and I had to move furniture.  She had great suggestions that I basically blew off because I made her a glorified onlooker, listened to her suggestions a little, and still did it the way I thought best.  To say the least, I lost my helper.  Sounds very similar to my consultation with the Father.  Deborah said that making plans in an organized fashion would solve the problem and my plan was to just get it done.  Made her nervous and upset as well as making my Father upset.  I learned a lot!  I either consider her ways and try them or I shouldn't ask her for help.  My track record is not good in letting others help me to get things done.  Next time I have the opportunity, I want to be a better example of allowing His opinion to rule.  It also means that I need to let a helper help me and not just feel unimportant!
Your brother in Christ,
p  

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Gratitude should be something that goes forward! Colossians 3:16

Good morning everyone,
Gratitude is one of those choices that we make or choose not to make on a daily basis.  Remember the phrase, 'pay it forward?'  You can make someones day if you do something nice for them or buy them a cup of coffee without being prompted.  In the book, 'As Bill Sees It', the author says gratitude should go forward, rather than backward.  In other words, if you carry the message to still others, you will be making the best possible repayment for help given to you.  Think of the One that has given you the most in your life.  Before you were even born, He knew you!  That thought alone is almost too much to consider.  Not only did He know you but He masterfully made you like no other.  Okay, then to top things off, He died on a cross for you to show His Great Love for you.  See, we owe the Master all the gratitude we can muster because it will never be enough, but as an act of humility, we should spend our life dedicating all we have to Him.  As life unfolds and you choose to serve Him, you will find the keys to the car that will take you where only He has traveled!  On this adventure, you will be given opportunity after opportunity to make choices about being thankful.  Remember that what you do will never be enough but it will be an opportunity to give all that you have.  The widow who gave 2 mites was much more than the one who gave millions because the 2 mites were all she had!  Today, ask Him to help you see way beyond your troubles because if you look far enough, you will find that someone else has it much tougher!  Pray for them and see what happens to your own issues!  Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, March 1, 2012

What are you worth? Mark 12:41-43

Good morning everyone,
You may ask yourself, depending on what day of the week that it is, what God could ever do with you?  You shouldn't think of yourself as a loser or better than your neighbor, but equal because God created you both!  He also took the time to make you according to certain specifications that are different than anybody else.  Just like a snowflake, no two humans are exactly alike.  It may appear on the surface that  identical twins are exact duplicates, but underneath it all, they are each 'one of a kind!'  Why is that important?  Because, He has a plan for you and you only!  You may not know His plan for you yet, but that shouldn't keep you from consulting the One who created you!  If He feels that snow flakes are important enough to make them all different, how much more valuable are you?  Luke 12:6-7 describes the value of sparrows as compared to humans.  'Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.'  See, God created you to be so much more than you probably realize!  Don't let others determine your self worth.  That is a problem that they will have to contend with the Creator.  For yourself, never stop serving Him and before you know it, He will have you right where He wants you.  Mark 12:41-43 tells us a great story about a widow giving all she had.  Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.  Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others."  See it isn't really about giving what you think is important but more about making everything available to Him and seeing what He does with the small amount you have!  You will be amazed.  Before you know it, you will see that your worth is more valuable than all the gold in the world!  Ask Him to change your heart so that compassion becomes your nature!
Your brother in Christ,
p