Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! Proverbs 9:10; Hebrews 2:14-15; 4:16

Good morning everyone,
When you fear something, do you really have a reason to fear it anyway?  God tells us that we should fear Him only!  Proverbs 9:10 tells us, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.'  If you are like me, I can get in a tizy before I ever need to get in a tizy.  The same One who gave us confidence and assurance is the same One who can enable us to endure a situation that might otherwise cause us to implode.  When you feel as though you are about to unravel, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power to overcome.  If you don't ask, you are going to be frustrated and rung out without any sense of 'real calmness.'  Hebrews 4:16 tells us to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.  If you fear death, ask Him to give you the power to overcome what satan has enslaved upon you.  Hebrews 2:14-15 says, 'Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death -that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.'  See, if we trust Him with our life itself, death really has hold on us.  We can approach death with a whole new sense that life is continuing with the Savior!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Anything worth having is worth fighting for! Galatians 6:2

Good morning everyone,
Galatians 6:2 tells us that we are instructed to carry each other's burdens, and in this way we will fulfill the law of Christ.  Jesus Christ made each and everyone of us so that we would fight for His Kingdom.  Everyone matters to the Kingdom and He loves us so much that He set the table over 2000 years ago so that we would dine with Him at the most extravagant banquet that has ever been given.  He wants you and I to attend to show us His appreciation for the life that we lived for Him.  We make things difficult by saying we don't have time for Him daily because we get caught up in the busyness of the day.  We have a tendency to tell Him that we just simply don't have time.  That is unless we make the time!  When we get instructions from our employers, we either carry them out or we no longer work for that company.  It is as simple as that!  With Jesus, He gives us opportunity after opportunity to simply carry out His instructions.  If we start the day by spending time with Him, we are more likely to carry Him with us all day long.  Think for a moment about why you were created.  Whatever your thoughts are, it is much more than you can imagine!  See you are His creation and He doesn't create junk.  No matter what your past has been like, it doesn't have to determine your future!  Determine today that you want to make Him a priority and I promise you that you will see that you are worth fighting for!
Your brother in Christ,
p  

Friday, October 19, 2012

Are you finishing well? 2 Timothy 4:7

Good morning everyone,
Yes, I have been out of sorts as of late and I am moving forward on what is in reserve.  He tells us that He will carry us when we are out of gas!  2 Timothy 4:7 says, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.'  When it doesn't make sense for us to plunge forward, He gives us reason after reason why it makes sense to finish the race!  Not by just begrudgingly doing it, but doing it because of the faith that He gives us.  When your body wants to give up and just roll over, He is the One that can help you accomplish the details that you might say don't matter.  Remember, 2 Corinthians 6:7 reminds us that we are to walk by faith, not by sight.  In essence, Paul goes on to say that his body is finished and he is ready to be with the Lord, but he knows that he still has a job to accomplish for the Lord and as long as he is here, he is going to allow his faith to help him finish strong!  Don't we all need that sort of faith brothers and sisters?  Let me encourage you to approach each moment as a tipping point and ask God to fill you so that your decisions will be to lean toward His ways!  Choices are plentiful in any given day.  As we approach this day, ask Him to help you make the ones that please Him!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Why it makes sense to plunge forward! 1 John 5:3-5

Good afternoon everyone,
Today was one of those days that it probably made sense to stay in bed because I didn't really have the energy or stamina that I needed to make it through a long workday.  I have traveled non stop over the past couple of weeks and have not really had a lot of down time!  Sometimes it is best not questioning what we need to do; it is better to just plunge forward and trust that God will give you a new sense of vitality!  When we do that, amazing things happen.  He has a way of taking our minds off what we dread and placing them on getting our jobs done with an improved sense of gratitude!  When we realize that there is very little we can do to change the obvious, He seems to give us a whole new attitude adjustment.  He is always ready to work with us and show us ways we quickly have forgotten that existed.  We forget to include Him in our mayhem!  Plunging forward is really something that is contagious also because when you endure, others see your tired body still performing at levels that don't make sense.  The next time you want to give up, ask Him to give you a new sense of drive and direction.  Be ready though because He may have you complete the project in a much different way in which you intended.  1 John 5:3-5 says, 'In fact, this is love for God:  to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.'
Go forth and endure for Christ knowing that He will be with you all along the way!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

There to break your fall! Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 9:9-10

Good morning everyone,
As I was preparing to start my work day yesterday, I had stopped by a fast food restaurant for a bit of lunch and as I turned to find a seat after ordering, I met a hostess face to face.  We both were startled, both stepping aside to avoid a collision.  As we did so, I became off balanced and another hostess caught me to upright me.  Her comment was that she at least was good for breaking someones fall.  I sort of laughed but that is exactly what our Lord and Savior does for us all the time.  Deuteronomy 33:27 tells us that the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, 'Destroy them!'  Psalm 9:9-10 tells us that the Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.  God is the same yesterday that He will be today and what He will be tomorrow.  He never changes!  That means that we can trust Him to break our falls and upright us to a better position.  Ladies and gentlemen, you are blessed to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  You may know someone that is hurting and can't see past the hurt.  Encourage them with these verses to assure them that He is capable of carrying them when they can't go on!  Psalm 23 is a great chapter to share because it gives hope when all hope has been lost!  See, when we go through the darkest valley and realize that there is no evil to fear because God is with us, then we realize He is always with us!  May He comfort you this day as only He can!
Your brother in Christ,
p     

Monday, October 8, 2012

Choices! There are a lot of them but One is most important! Proverbs 19:23

Good morning everyone,
The choices we make everyday are numerous to say the least.  We don't usually even think of the impact that they play on who we are unless we have a regular exchange with the Lord Almighty.  The next section of this devotional is taken from a daily devotional I get from 'Family Life Today.' 
Fearing God means we reverence Him. We set Him apart and live our lives under His watchful eyes. To be sure, He is the God of love, but He is also the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! He is a righteous Judge who should be feared. You and I are accountable to Him for the life we live and choices we make.
Do you fear men more than God? Are you preoccupied with what people think about you? Are you living your life for the grandstands of heaven or Earth? Only the fear of God is able to deliver you from the fear of man.
It was A. W. Tozer who said, "What you think about God is the most important thing you think." Knowing God--really knowing Him and who He is--calibrates all of life. He is the ultimate measurement because He is in control. When we see God as Creator, Maker, Redeemer, Judge, Consuming Fire, Sovereign King and the One who knows all things, we begin to practice His presence in our lives.
He is God. He is holy. And as fervently as He is to be loved, He should also be fiercely feared. He is worthy of it. And we are in need of fearing Him.
God wants to know you intimately and the closer you get to Him, the more you will find out that He is 100% trustworthy!  Your thoughts about Him determine what choices you will make.  Calibrating life means that you let Him fine tune you to His liking so that you operate in a manner that is pleasing to Him!  When we make wrong choices, and if we have Him as our calibrator, He is always ready to adjust us so that we are back in line with His way of thinking!  All of us are subject to the decisions we make daily and choosing Christ is the most important!  Proverbs 19:23 tells us that the fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.  Don't fear what is temporal; fear what is eternal!
Your brother in Christ,
p

Thursday, October 4, 2012

A gaggle of geese, a raft of ducks! James 1:5-7

Good morning everyone,
Yesterday when I went to bed in Northern Minnesota, the temperature was 62 degrees.  This morning when I woke up, the wind was howling and the temperature had dropped to 37 degrees.  The hotel is on the Big Detroit Lake and the lake will be frozen over with 'ice houses' stationed all over it in less than 4 weeks!  Needless to say, people take their fishing here very serious.  As I look out upon the lake, I notice a gaggle of geese and a raft of ducks floating along trying to maneuver the wind blown waters.  It is interesting to say the least that birds have a tendency to stick together.  As the snow blows sideways, their closeness reminds me of how important it is for each of us to stick together with other like minded people.  God made us so that we can bear burdens together much better than trying to bear them alone.  The ducks and geese get it and they stick together to help the lesser ones to keep up.  We were made to help our brothers and sisters out and to pray for folks when they struggle and have lost their way!  Instead of giving up on the folks that have lost their way, consider that you were once lost before He found you.  Your encouragement may be the difference in whether or not someone finds their way back through the 'wind blown waters!'  Believe that you can make a difference in peoples lives and ask God to show you how to give encouragement!  James 1:5-7 says, 'If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.'
Your brother in Christ,
p