Friday, December 31, 2021
Once And For All
Hebrews 9:28---So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Have you ever
experienced the joy of giving someone a gift with no strings attached, no
expectation of thanks? Then you have a small taste of Christ’s joy in providing
salvation for us. And yet we find it so hard to accept this gift at face value.
We seem to want to add to it just for good measure. But we have nothing to add.
Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect, atoning for all sins forever. He has paid our
debt in full. I recall once reading of a master wood craftsman who spent months
constructing a beautiful coffee table for his friend. He carved all manner of
intricate designs around the side of the table and applied seventeen coats to
the surface, the finish, glistened. You could see your face in it as if it were
a mirror. The craftsman brought the table wrapped in a soft cloth to his
friend, unveiled it, and said, here it is—the long-anticipated gift. “Though
the table was indeed a thing of beauty, the craftsman’s friend said, “Oh, I…I
think it is just magnificent, but I couldn’t simply accept it as a gift. You
have done all the work. Surely I must do my part.” With that, the friend picked
up a piece of sandpaper and started to sand the top of the table. The master
craftsman grabbed his friend’s wrist and said, “Stop that! You’ll destroy it
all. It is finished. “So it is with the great redemption wrought by Christ.
Just before He gave up His spirit, Christ said, “It is finished!” Done!
Complete! We can add nothing; indeed, we in our sinfulness have nothing to
offer. But nothing is needed. Christ’s sacrifice is perfect. Christ suffered
infinitely upon the cross and paid an infinite price—in full. The only
“sacrifice” we can now give to the Lord is a sacrifice of praise for what He
has done! So, if you haven’t already, accept the gift. Stop trying to earn it;
just take it from Christ with a heart full of gratitude.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Of What Are You Made?
Knowledge is power, especially if the knowledge is about yourself. To achieving success, knowing all about who you are is critical, about what you do, about how you act, and about why you act the way you do. When you know all about yourself, you can then begin to exercise control over who you are. When it comes to knowing yourself, ignorance is not bliss…ignorance is a disaster. So who or what are you? Of what are you made? You are a body with physical needs and drives, but you are more. You are more than just a physical body with needs and drives because you are also emotions, subconscious motives, and a being with an ego. You are also your mind. You are a mental being with rational thoughts and incredible potential. You are also a being with a spirit. You are a spiritual being who can if you want, reach out for the ultimate you can be and reach out to the ultimate of all beings we call God.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Obstacles And Strength
If you are ten times stronger than the satanic opponent and have the resources to do so, you can surround the opponent. If you are strong enough to obliterate the obstacles put in your path by the opponent without using up your strength or your resources you must do so. Do not use your strength or resources to obliterate obstacles unless you have an advantage greater than the lost strength or the resources you use up. If possible, you must obliterate obstacles on the playing field so you can engage the opponent on a level field of battle, without obstacles, and to your advantage. If possible, always engage the opponent on a field of battle to your advantage and to the opponent's disadvantage.
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Concerned
As we let our humanity kick in we find ourselves concerned about our Nation and other things that appear to be going on in this old world. While concern maybe okay don't allow your concern to turn into worry or even bitterness that will eat away at your soul. God is so much bigger than anything we will ever face on this earth. He didn't promise us that we would not face trouble, in fact, He said in this world ye shall have tribulation. Tribulation may come but we have His ever-present Spirit to abide with us to carry us through. Today instead of looking at your circumstances look to the one who is bigger than your circumstances.
Monday, December 27, 2021
Obituary of Someone Else
I know that all of you were saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our church's most valuable members Someone Else. Someone's passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone Else did far more than the normal person's share of the work. Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results. Someone Else can work with that group. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone's lips, "Let Someone Else do it." It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the largest givers in the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed that Someone Else would make up the difference. Someone Else was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing super-human, but a person can only do so much. Was the truth known, everyone, expected too much of Someone Else? Now Someone Else is gone. We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did? Remember, we can't depend on Someone Else anymore. Author Unknown
Sunday, December 26, 2021
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Friday, December 24, 2021
Not Getting What We Want
Every person is born with a sinful nature. Also, Satan has the power to make you want or even crave material things. We too often confuse the power of evil or the ways of Satan with our not getting what we want in material things. If you are suffering because you did not get a new material thing, it is not Satan who is making you suffer, it is your greed, avarice, and love for things causing the suffering. If you are suffering because you did not get a new material thing, you are suffering because of your sinful nature. Your sinful nature causing your suffering can be eliminated when you surrender all you are to Christ. Satan does not always have to work to get you down by not giving you material things. You can get yourself down when you do not get what you want. Also, you cannot come against Satan and use God to get your material thing. However, you can break the deadly grip of wanting material things by giving up all you are and giving up all you have to Christ Jesus. When you live totally for Christ, the deadly grip of wanting material things is gone. You are then free. You are then living a life of victory and dominance.
Thursday, December 23, 2021
No Reasons and No Excuses…
1 Peter 5:8---Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
We all have reasons
and excuses why we are not what God wants us to be. However, we must never let
any reason or any excuse keep us from being honest…especially honest with
ourselves. We all have circumstances that make us think about ourselves.
However, no reason or excuse should ever keep us from being caring toward each
other. We all have conditions in our life causing others to misunderstand us.
However, we have no reason and no excuse for not exerting our hearts and minds
to understand who they are and where they are. We all have situations in our
life that make us want to give up and give in. However, none of us have any
reason or any excuse to give up being the kind of steadfast person God wants us
to be. We have no reason and no excuse not to pray for others more than we ever
pray for ourselves. We all have experiences in life where people have hurt us
and disappointed us. However, we must all be fully committed to being a person
who forgives. We must need no reason to forgive, except we are willing to be
forgiving in Christ’s name and love. We all have daily challenges pushing us to
lose control of our heart, mind, soul, and behavior. However, as children of
God, we have no reason and no excuse why we should ever surrender our
self-control. We all have memories about times when we have not been loved like
we needed or always wanted. However, we must still be persons of love with no
excuses for being otherwise.
Sunday, December 19, 2021
No Excuses
Psalm 141:4---Incline not my heart to evil words; to make excuses in sins. With men that work iniquity: and I will not communicate with the choicest of them.
Excuse---attempt to
lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.
We must never make excuses for any part of our life. When we make excuses we
essentially avoid focusing on the present or future as we shirk our
responsibility in the present. We often make excuses when we falter. Instead of
telling the truth about our mistakes and miscues while pushing ahead, we
instead cook up useless reasons, called excuses, about what caused the mistake.
If we make excuses, we never come to grips with what we did to cause the
mistake. We must come to grips with what needs fixing and what we need to do
today or tomorrow to avoid the mistake in the future. Not making excuses
enables us to be aggressive, flexible, and forward thinking. Making excuses
stops our being aggressive because making excuses immediately stops us from
actively pursuing solutions, goals and objectives. Making excuses reduces our
ability to be flexible in dealing with circumstances or situations. Making
excuses freezes us in one place (the past) while the excuse is being made.
Making excuses keeps us from being forward thinking because while we are making
excuses we are looking back at the past and giving useless reasons why the past
was like it was.
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Grief
It’s real and this time of year it can raise its head quickly. I have been rumbling through old pictures and crying some but rejoice in thinking about all the good times I had with my family members who are with the Lord now. I am thankful they didn’t have to endure this pandemic. Where they are there is never a pandemic. For those who are grieving through this Holiday season, I want you to know that I am praying for you and your family. Merry Christmas to all of you.
Friday, December 17, 2021
New Power
We have power over the air via human flight but terrorists are seeking to destroy the plane and all those who are aboard. We have built our country (the USA) into the most advanced country on earth but hatred against our country runs deep in many places. We have unbelievable technology but are using the technology in unbelievably sinful ways. We have inventions and we have abortions by the millions. We have lifesaving medicine but a world full of vacant and empty souls. We have extended human life and the life being lived is often miserable. We are trying to control the weather and the weather is reacting in violent ways. We have reversed the aging process in experimental animals but we have lost the meaning and purpose of life in humans. We have discovered the kill switch in living cells that tells the cells to die but millions of people live on the edge of starvation. Not only do we have power but we are getting more and more power from new power sources. What will happen now that we have new power?
Thursday, December 16, 2021
New Leaves
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Some people want to
get everything in their life straightened out before they come to Christ. But
you'll wake up in hell and still not have it straightened out. It’s like trees
that don’t lose their leaves in the fall. The leaves wither and turn brown but hold
on until the spring. And when the new leaf comes, it pushes the old leaf off.
That's exactly what happens to your old habits, your old life, when you find
the Lord Jesus. The new life pushes your old life off. It’s not a matter of
plucking off this leaf and knocking off that one. You'll never do it that way.
Let the new life within you do its work. If you are saved you have to come to
grip with the fact that your “old nature” is dead and you are a new creature in
Christ? You can’t “kill” the old nature on your own. You have to “reckon” the
old nature as dead and allow the “new nature”—the new creature you are in
Christ—to come alive and be fed and nurtured by the Holy Spirit.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Never Give Up
To reach any goal you must try again, and again, and again, and you must never give up. To never give up you need power. You can choose an infinite power or you can choose a finite or limited power. In any pursuit in life, you have a choice about which kind of power you use to keep going so you never give up. The limited evil power does not want you to win. The limited evil power wants you to give up. The limited evil power wants you to live in defeat and darkness. The limited evil power wants you to fail and fail miserably. God is the infinite power of the universe. To keep going so you never give up, you need infinite power. God is infinite power. God wants you to never give up so you can claim a resounding victory with Him against the limited evil power.
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Need For God
How important is theology when your mother, or father, or sister, or brother, or uncle, or cousin has just been taken away and thrown to the lions in front of thousands of people? How important is theology when thousands of people will laugh and have a good time while watching your loved one be attacked and torn apart by wild animals? The early Christians needed God in ways we do not understand today. What is so amazing is that they hung onto the faith and the promises of Christ during this time. Look at the attitude of the mass of people in the world today about Christ and their attitude toward the church. There is no way to compare where people are today in their need for God and where the early church members were in their need for Him. You need God, but do you know it? If you do know you need Him do you tell Him?
Monday, December 13, 2021
My Hope Is In Him Because He Is A Personal God
Psalm 8:3–4---When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that
thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
When have you been
most aware of God’s presence with you? Of His power and His love? Of the hope
and strength, you can find in Him? How did you respond? Did you respond with
thanksgiving and joy? David was a songwriter throughout his life. He wrote
psalms when he was a shepherd boy gazing at the billions of stars God created,
when he was a successful warrior being chased down by jealous Saul, and when he
was the king of Israel. The songs of David and the other psalmists express a
personal, intimate relationship with God, the kind of relationship that can be
yours as well if it isn’t already. Like a shepherd, the Lord longs to protect
you, provide for you, guide you, rescue you, and comfort you, so that, like
David, you can proclaim, The Lord is my shepherd, I Shall Not Want. Psalm 23:1 our good Shepherd longs to have
His Goodness and mercy shall… follow [us] all the days of [our] life. — Psalm
23:6 what a blessing! I believe God is involved in and cares about my daily life.
Sunday, December 12, 2021
MY HELPER
Hebrews 13:6---So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
We are to take on an attitude of
invincibility. Of course, we are vulnerable. We are all subject to death. We
are subject to persecution…even the persecution of Satan from his inflicting
pain upon us. Even in our worst hour, we must never forget we are not alone. No
matter how much we hurt, we never hurt by ourselves. We are never alone in our
pain because Christ is with us each moment. When we fear, we must tell
ourselves, we need not fear for God is our defender. When we look at the
spiritual realities of our life, we can see for our eternity, the eternal
protective power of God. We may suffer now, but later on, there shall be no
suffering for eternity.
Saturday, December 11, 2021
Most Things I Worry About Never Happen
“Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” - Matthew 6:27
The best thing you
can say about worry is that it does no good. The worst thing is that it does
much harm. I’m reminded of the little lady who said, “Don't tell me worry
doesn't do any good. Most of the things I worry about never happen. “Worry is
absolutely useless. It doesn't cure any problems. It doesn't lift any burdens.
It doesn't wipe away any tears. It never has; it never can; it never will!
Worry can’t make you any taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner. It is so
senseless, and it is therefore useless. But even worse, it is faithless. Worry
is just the opposite of faith. When we worry, we try to make God out to be a
liar. Why? Because, God has said He will take care of us.
Friday, December 10, 2021
Miracles Then And Now
Matthew 15:22-29 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
These
examples of faith and healing are put into the scripture for a reason. These
examples of faith and healing are placed in our holy Word so we will believe
and have the same kind of faith of the woman who kept crying out. The faith
this woman used two thousand years ago is the same faith we can use today. The
love of God we experience is real and is the same love people experienced two
thousand years ago. The healing power Christ used in healing this woman's
daughter is real and this healing power is the same today as it was then. The
power of God to act is the same today as then. Miracles happen today just like
they happened then because the same miracle power is at work today as it was
then.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Our Precious Hope
Hebrews 6:19–20---Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
The first-century
symbol of Christianity was an anchor, not a cross. Pictured on the epitaphs of
first-, second-, and third-century believers, it symbolized the hope they had
in the life beyond because of Christ. If you look closely, however, you will
notice a large portion of an anchor is made up of a cross. Strangely enough,
while ships have changed dramatically since that time, the anchor used today
has pretty much remained unchanged from ancient times. The writer of Hebrews
tells us, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. — Hebrews
13:8 much like the anchor. Life changes from day to day, and turmoil and
tempests come with no warning, but Jesus Christ never changes. You can count on
him to hold you steady no matter what the storms of life throw at your Vessel.
He will hold you secure until the billows have calmed and the skies have
cleared. The Cross has always been the anchor of hope for those who believe.
When tempests in life shake your Vessel, put your hope in the eternal life
offered through our anchor, Jesus Christ. “We can cope with the hardships of
life because of the hope I have in Jesus Christ.”
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Messages From God's Touch
Jeremiah 1:9--- Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
We can all be sensitive to God's touch. Let us say you find yourself sitting in jail. Let us assume you are sitting in jail because you were arrested for drunk driving. Let us also say you have lost several jobs because of your drinking problem. In jail, you find yourself alone, with no one coming to see you or caring about you. If you draw a life map of your past and present life while sitting in jail, you should see a pattern. What you should see on your life map are many wrong turns. On your life map, you should see a pattern emerge and you should see every time you make a wrong turn or make a mistake, bad things happen. However, hidden in every mistake, in every wrong turn, and in every painful memory, there is a message from God. Likewise, every success, every joy, and every good memory of your life also contains a message from God. Figuring things out in life sounds incredibly simple put in terms of drawing a life map. However, in reality, things are not this simple because we so often do not want to look at our lives in realistic ways. Quite often we do not want to draw a map of our lives even if we had the capability of doing so. Figuring things out about our lives and how God communicates to us can be simple. This process of hearing God requires us to be truthful with God and with ourselves. However, being truthful with God and with ourselves is not easy. Yet when we are truthful with ourselves and with God, we point ourselves in the right direction. Even when we tell ourselves the truth, things are still not easy, but when we tell ourselves the truth, we become free.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Mental Emancipation
The spiritual, emotional, and intellectual environment you create in your life produces within you an attitude yielding a fruit in your spirit, heart, and mind. Mental emancipation or mental freedom is your ability to create a free mental life of your very own. We achieve mental emancipation or mental freedom by:
●Developing
opportunities within our life leading to personal success
●Answering these
questions about the facts of our life and our opinions and beliefs: 1. Do my
beliefs square up with the observed facts? 2. Am I operating on successful
beliefs or principles? 3. Where have my beliefs taken me on the road to
success? 4. What do I believe about work, religion, politics, education,
physical life, social life, and economic life?
●To be free you must
never, never, let anyone ...nor any organization ever become the criteria of
your personal worth! You must be the only person who is to decide your personal
worth as a child of your Creator, fully loved and fully embraced by Him.
Monday, December 6, 2021
A Calling or Just A Job
With what I heard on the debate last night about God’s Call, I was compelled to write my thoughts on the matter. From the time I was 16 years old, I have worked. I started with Winn Dixie in Tifton, Georgia, bagging groceries. Before that, I worked on the farm with my granddaddy, picking peaches, throwing watermelons onto trucks, and the list could go on when farming. At age 24, I felt God tugging at my heart with a call to preach. I ran for many years toying with it, but I learned that it was not something to flirt around His call. I have never pastored a church that paid megabucks, but God has always met my needs.
I climbed the ladder of success in the grocery business and
could have probably made much more money in the business world than I’ve ever
made in preaching the Gospel. If ministry weren’t a calling from God, I would
have left it long ago. I have served in some places and been mistreated by
people calling themselves Christians, and I did leave it one time. But like
Jeremiah, His fire burned in my bones. Crying the blues one day, God spoke to
my heart and said, “ I only had 12 dedicated followers, and one of them was a
devil. When I died on the cross, all but one fled in fright. Pick yourself up
and preach.” I have never looked back since that happened. Friend ministry is a
high calling from God, not just a job for one to choose.
Dr. Danny V. Ray
Memo From God
I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it. If you find yourself stuck in traffic; don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the man in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed his children. Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine. Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. Some didn't live long enough to get the opportunity. Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness, or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!!
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
The word touch means many things and the meanings of touch are all ways Jesus can change you. To touch means to come to Jesus comes to us as we ask Him. Since God knows no time or is timeless, what we ask, when we ask, can be delivered as we ask or at any time in the future…even after we are with God. In faith, all our prayers are answered…in God's way and in His time. In faith, when we ask Jesus to come to us He will come and be with us, perhaps in ways, we do not know about or fully understand. To touch means to reach or reach out to In the life of Christ, we can see Him always reaching out and touching others. For us, He is always reaching out to us to touch us, to help us, to heal us, and to save us. To touch means to compare with: No one compares to Christ, and nothing in your life will ever compare to the love you receive from Him. To touch means to make or draw a line with: When Christ is part of your life and you are willing to let Him be part of you, Christ draws a line over which Satan cannot pass to get to you to hurt you or devastate you.
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Love Over Fear
1 John 4:18--- There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Love casts out fear. Love boots out fear. Love drives fear away. Love cancels out fear. As goofy as it may sound, love frightens fear away. Love is the victor when fear and love face off. When you love doing a task, even if you feared to do the task in the beginning, soon your love for the task takes away your fear. If you are afraid of public speaking and you work at public speaking enough, you can get so good at public speaking you begin to love speaking. Soon your fear will evaporate. In the real world in which we live, fear can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Fear can help us, even save our life in some cases. However, fear can also be an instrument of the darkness, keeping us from doing what God desires us to do. Placing your love for God and God's love for you in your heart will, sooner or later, cancel out your fear put upon you by the darkness of the Devil.
Friday, December 3, 2021
Love or Anger Rippling Out To Others
1 John 4:19---We love because he first loved us.
Your love or anger
touches other persons. When you show anger toward others, anger ripples out
across the hearts of others and out into the world. However, when you show love
toward others, the emotion of love, so full of light and goodness, also ripples
out across the hearts of others. Love ripples out across the universe and into
the very heart of God. Every hour we have a choice about who we are and what we
do. Every hour we have a choice of showing others love. Love brings joy to God,
to others, and to you. Love changes the world because love is God and God is
love. Every moment you need to choose to love. Every moment you need to choose
to send out the substance of God. We must send out love because Christ loved us
while we were yet sinners. An astounding truth is this…you can choose. You can
choose to send out God. You can choose to give God away to others and to the
universe. God wants you to share Himself. God wants you to give away all He is.
Send out the substance of God. Send out God and He will come back to you many
times over. We send out the substance of God not because we want something back
but because God loved us before we first loved Him.
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Love Is
Love is the essence of God and is God. Love is both the reflection of God through us and the reality of God in us. Love is the force that holds atoms, electrons, quarks, and galaxies together. Love is the force that heals broken limbs and broken hearts. Love is the power that throws us into grief and the power that heals us from the pain of grief. Love is invisible to the eye but visible in its manifestations. Love is simple for a child but complex for an adult. Love is something you cannot hold in your hand but can hold in your heart. We can say what love is not but we have difficulty expressing what it is. Love is the force that holds your life and your body together. Love is the force that leaves your body when you die and love welcomes that force from your body when you enter Heaven. Love is the creative force that creates works of art, literature, and music that glorify God when those works are done within the will of God. Love is the force that turns a sperm and an egg into a living being regardless of the circumstances of the sperm and egg joining. The presence of love is the ultimate light in life and love is the ultimate presence in the afterlife. Love is a power we cannot control yet we must control ourselves to hold love. Love is God laughing at our antics and it is His weeping at our sin and rebellion. Love has a cost of total surrender to God. Love appears in ways we cannot see but we can know without a doubt that love is there. Love came down to earth from heaven and we tried to destroy Him, yet He came back to life, forgave us, and still calls us His own.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Love In Times Of Temptation
Christ's love always empowers you to do right, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to weaken you so you will do wrong. Christ's love always shows you the way, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to blind you. Christ's love always brings you to the Light, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to take you into the darkness. Christ's love sends you upward, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to pull you downward. Christ's love brings you hope, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to bring you despair. Christ's love heals you, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to wound you. Christ's love enables you to do more and be more, even while temptation from the evil one tries to disable you. Christ's love brings all the parts of your life and soul together, even while temptation from the evil one tries to separate you. Christ's love flows down and pours over you from above, even while temptation from the evil one tries to destroy you from below. Christ's love remains forever, while your temptation from the evil one disappears into the darkness from which it came.
Monday, November 29, 2021
Looking Back Too Often
Philippians 3:13-14---Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
When we look back at
the past too often we end up not living today. God means for us to live in the
here and now not live with our eyes cast back into previous times. We praise
God more fully when we relish the moments of the present. We praise God more
fully when we gaze off into the future and dream of new ways we can make things
today so things will be better tomorrow. When we constantly look back and yearn
to return to yesteryear, we are cheating ourselves and cheating God out of the
best time of our life…the best time of our life being this moment. This moment
can be the best moment for you if we determine to make this moment the best
moment for God and for His glory. We do not have to make this day the best day
of our life. We cannot, in fact, make this day the best day of our life. We
can, however, in the next few seconds, make the next few seconds the best few
seconds we have ever lived. Even at the very end of our journey, when nearly
all of what we have said, thought, done, believed, hoped for, dreamed about,
and prayed about is behind us, our most glorious moment is just ahead as we
step over into eternity. When we realize we can all be headed toward God's
eternity of unbounded love, we do not want the past…we want, at our last moment,
only eternal new moments full of glory and full of grace.
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Look For Small Positives
Looking for small positives is not a matter of thinking positively in negative circumstances. Looking for small positives is an attitude that helps us seek out the best opportunities and the best resources in every setting. If all we ever see is the negatives, we end up reacting only to the negatives. If we look for small positives, we have an opportunity to use the small positives to our advantage and use the small positives as a resource upon which we can build. Our life is filled with small positives but when we are in a negative frame of mind, we too often do not even look for the small positives, let alone see them. You cannot build upon a negative circumstance as easily as you can a positive circumstance. Most often, a negative circumstance requires time and resources to turn the negative into a positive. Negative circumstances like mistakes require fixing if fixing is possible. Positive circumstances not only require no fixing, but positive circumstances can be used to overcome those matters, issues, and events that are negative. In your life, you can do great things with your positive attributes, your positive talents, your positive traits, and your positive abilities. Your positives are your assets. Your negatives are your liabilities.
Friday, November 26, 2021
Loneliness
Human beings are lonely creatures. We easily think we are the only person alive who knows what we are going through. The presence of God in our hearts and life is infinite. The infinite presence of God can obliterate the loneliness we can feel. When we think we are alone, we are still surrounded by God's infinite power, God's infinite love, and God's infinite wisdom. When we look around and see no other person, we do not visually see God's infinite presence. Yet, His invisible presence within us and all around us has no limits and no bounds. His infinite presence in our hearts and mind is as strong as we are willing to let His presence be. We can know God's infinite presence within us if we are willing to let our heart, mind, and soul be touched by His infinite nature. The supernatural fact is we are never alone, we are never without a companion, and we are never without a friend. Likewise, to have the reality of Christ's presence, His companionship, and His friendship we must be willing to be present with Christ, be a companion to Him, and be His friend. The infinite presence of God in our life depends upon our willingness to walk His path every minute instead of expecting God to walk our path. As we strive to have infinite patience, infinite love for others, and infinite love for Christ, we soon find we have the Lord's infinity within us. Our realizing the Lord's infinite presence depends upon how infinitely desirous we are to be His child and do His bidding. For it is not what God does for us, it is what we are willing to do for Him that brings us the prize of His infinite and ever-present love, kindness, and compassion.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Thanking God For His Enduring Love
Psalm 136:1---O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Hearing this psalm as
a child, and it seemed to go on forever. The writer of Psalm 136 wished to show
readers repeatedly that God’s love endures forever. Read and re-read this psalm
as a truly attentive child of God who is daily growing to know God better.
Practice by carefully reading aloud the first part of every verse, reflecting
on every phrase. The verses of Psalm 136 recall concrete examples from history
in which the Lord showed his enduring love. If you wish, look up the full
report of each of those examples in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, and
Judges. Then try to identify personally with as many of the instances of the
Lord’s enduring love that the verses suggest to you. You can identify any of
the Lord’s great wonders? Wonders that awed you? That comforted you? Can you
name a time in your life when the Lord led you through a desert experience? As
you meditate over each verse and each example of God’s love, repeat the psalms
refrain again and again. What do you think is the most fitting response to God
for his enduring love in all its instances? On this Thanksgiving Day How can
you, your family, thank God for his enduring love?
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Living With Obstacles and Burdens
We may not be able to do anything about some of our obstacles, burdens, or circumstances in life. We may have to just let the obstacle, burden, or circumstance sit in our life. We may just have to let the obstacle, burden, or circumstance be where it is at the moment. We may have to climb over the obstacle, go around it, tunnel under it, and live with the fact the obstacle is always going to be where it is. We may have to learn to live despite the obstacle or burden. In many of the circumstances we cannot change, our greatest victory is learning to live despite the obstacle, burden, or circumstance. As ridiculous as this sounds, if darkness has its way, an inanimate obstacle or a circumstance will get you down, keep you down, and you will not live. It is the will of God that you come back against obstacles, burdens, and circumstances by living fully despite them.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Living Through The Impossible
Mark 14:35-36---And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
So many people who
have never lived through or lived with circumstances that seem impossible tell
us “to just pray”. However, dealing with the impossible is not always that
easy. If we tell the truth in total and complete honesty, for those of us who
live with or who have lived through the impossible, praying is sometimes the
most difficult thing there is for us to do. Adversity tries to kill our spirit.
Adversity tries to kill our soul. Adversity tries to separate us from God. In spite
of what adversity tries to do to us, we can still make prayer attempts. In
spite of our adversity, we can still try to pray even when we might think God
is not listening. You must remember God is always listening, no matter what you
face in your life, God is always near to you and He hears everything you say in
your heart. When you face the impossible and you see no hope, God hears you say
to yourself that you see no way out and you have no hope. When you face the
impossible, you must try to pray even when you think praying is of no value.
Even when you are full of doubt, grief, guilt, shame, and every other kind of inner
pain, you must pray on in spite of impossible odds. When you face the
impossible, and you don’t want to pray, remember praying against the impossible
is like doing a physical workout with your body. When you physically work out,
your muscles and body may ache. When you physically work out, your results or
payoff may be in the far distant future. In the same way, when you pray in
faith during impossible times, your results may be far off, your soul may ache
from the praying, but when you pray, what seems impossible now can easily
become reality in the next moment here and now or later in Heaven.
Monday, November 22, 2021
Peace Rather Than Turmoil
John 14:27---Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
These are soothing
words. In a world full of turmoil, we need soothing words. In our turmoil, we
do want what the world gives us. We want our televisions, cars, houses,
appliances of every kind, money, you name it, and we want it. However, we
cannot find peace in any of these material things. A new car does not bring
peace because a new car is just a diversion. Money does not bring peace because
money is either not enough or too much. What we want most of all is peace in
our hearts. We want our hearts to be calm, at rest, and full of joy. The sad
truth is we try to fill our lives with things and really think that possessions
will bring us joy. When possessions don’t bring joy then we try substances,
drugs, and alcohol and these seem to work for a season but then we come down
from the high just to find that we are still miserable. These distractions we find in our world do
not give us the peace of Christ. Only Christ, who gives us joy, serenity, and
an eternal view of our life, can give us peace calming the troubled waters
of our soul.
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Living In Times Of Sickness
Proverbs 18:14---A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?
Most people face
times of illness or sickness. Some illnesses or sicknesses can be a major
circumstance lingering on for years. Other illnesses or sicknesses can be
relatively minor and may go away in a few days. When we feel sick, we may not
feel like praying, reading the Bible, or meditating upon the Lord's love. Even
when we do not feel like praying, we must remember He is still with us. Even
when we feel awful physically, God is still with us. When we are ill, we still
need to remember to pray, whether we feel like praying or not. When we pray
during a time of illness, it may not seem like we are contacting Christ, but in
faith, we know His is listening and working on our behalf. When we speak to the
Lord in prayer, we must ask Him to keep our attitude positive. A positive
attitude in sickness helps us defeat the darkness. When we rest our sickness in
the Lord's hand, His love will temper the pain.
Friday, November 19, 2021
Our War In Life
Our war in life is not with the burdens we must bear. Our war in life is with the dark powers that want us to believe we cannot live because of the burdens and obstacles we face each day. The inside of your life is God's domain, His territory, and His kingdom if you give the inside of your life over to Him. It is the inside of your life where the mighty victories of your life are won with His help. You can pray for things to change on the outside of your life. However, God's greatest victory through you is when He and you defeat the influences on the inside of your life…the influences that keep you down, defeated, depressed, and hopeless.
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Living by Faith
2 Corinthians 5:7-- (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
To live by faith is to live the
supreme life. To live by sight means we are imprisoned by what we see, feel,
touch, and sense. When life runs against us, the "seen" world of
earth plagues us. The unseen love of God available to us within our heart can
lift us up and away from the things of earth. Our relationships gone wrong, our
piles of emotional garbage we carry from our past, and our mountains of
problems we carry all suddenly disappear when we live by faith in love. The
"seen" tangibles of life can hurt and destroy us. When we live by
faith, we live in heavenly vibrations from Christ. In Christ, we live in the
streaming Light of Love from God, and the all-encompassing comfort of the Holy
Spirit. In faith, Christ brings us back to life as life should be lived…a life
lived by faith in love.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Living A Victorious Life
A person leads a victorious life not when there are no obstacles, burdens, or circumstances. A person leads a victorious life when obstacles abound and the obstacles are all turned to dust by how the victorious person lives. We all have an inside life and an outside life. There are times and circumstances in our outside life we cannot change. There are permanent unchanging inanimate objects and situations outside of us. Our defeat as persons comes about when we let inanimate objects or life obstacles get us down and we stay down. We may have dreams or hopes not filled or not realized in the outside world, but we can live a victorious life when we dictate the terms of our inner life.
Monday, November 15, 2021
Life Is Rough Sometimes
Everyone will go through some hard times at some point in this life, at times life isn't easy. Did you know the people that are the strongest are usually the most sensitive? Did you know the people who exhibit the most kindness are the first to get mistreated? Did you know the ones who take care of others all the time are usually the ones who need it the most? Did you know the three hardest things to say are I love you, I'm sorry, and help me? Sometimes just because a person looks happy, you have to look past their smile to see how much pain they may be in. May I ask my friends wherever you might be, to kindly Pray for those who have family problems, health struggles, and worries of any kind? THEY JUST NEED TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE CARES! PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for them to feel God's presence and know that He cares for them AND THAT YOU DO TOO.
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Life and Curves
I love the way the first eight verses of Psalm 119 reads in the Message Bible.
Psalm
119:1-8---Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the
LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the
whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast
commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to
keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all
thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall
have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me
not utterly.
You’re blessed when
you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t
go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God,
prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my
steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any
regrets in comparing my life with your counsel I thank you for speaking
straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going
to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me. Life can throw
you a curve from time to time. Each of us has certain desires and even set
goals for our lives. Many times when we do so we never consider the plans God
may have for our lives, I know I am guilty. Sometimes we just have to flow with
the curve, let go and let God have his way. To let go and let God have His way
means we turn completely loose of the steering wheel and let God do the
steering. I have failed miserably in this area at times and today I want to
recommit myself to surrender all to Christ. All to Jesus I Surrender!!
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Friday, November 12, 2021
Let Your Burdens Go
Luke 17:4---And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
You can carry a big
bag of lead on your back for your whole life. However, who would want this? No
one would want to walk around with a lead weight on their back for life. When
you carry hurt, pain, grudges, slights, embarrassments, trauma, or any kind of
hurt or pain caused by others, you need to let the burdens go. Carrying
emotional burdens from your past is like carrying a lead weight on your back.
Of course, getting rid of the emotional weight of your past is often not so
easy to do. However, you can forgive. You can look at all the dark moments you
carry on your back and let them go away...by forgiving. You can let go of what
you think others think and you can let go of what others have thought about you
in the past…by forgiving. You can let go of how you think you don’t measure up
and you can let go of how you have felt you didn’t measure up in the past…by
forgiving. You can let go of being afraid…by forgiving. You can let go of being
embarrassed…by forgiving. You can let go of the unnecessary bag of garbage you
carry…by forgiving. To let the burdens go, let Jesus help you. To let the
burdens go, release the bag of garbage into Christ’s hands. To let the burdens
go, let Jesus carry your weight. Jesus came to give you life. Jesus came to
help you. Jesus came to lift your burdens off your back and He will do so if
you are forgiving. So let it all go because letting all your burdens go is what
Jesus wants you to do for Him…by forgiving.
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Let Us Remember And Give Thanks
Psalm 103:2---Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
“Thank you!” Two simple words that let us know
we’re appreciated for what we do and who we are. When was the last time those
words crossed your lips as you prayed to God? I believe the Scriptures place a
great deal more emphasis upon gratitude than we realize. In fact, the
Scriptures consider thankfulness as an extremely important issue. Throughout
the Bible, we’re called again and again to praise and thank God. Most people
have Christianity absolutely backward. They suppose that the motive of the
Christian life is to perform good deeds in the hope of gaining eternal life.
And if that were the case, we wouldn’t need to express thanks to God; we would
have earned our own passage to heaven with no one to thank but ourselves. But
we can’t achieve eternal life on our own; we can gain salvation only through
God’s grace by faith in Jesus Christ. And this truth engenders a heart of
thankfulness and praise. God’s amazing grace inspires us to express our deepest
gratitude to our Lord and Savior. When we freely offer God our thanks and
praise, our lives change. As we count our many blessings, one by one, we may
become overwhelmed by what God has done in our lives. We may also learn to
trust Him for future needs as we review God’s perfect track record of taking
care of us. I encourage you to keep a spiritual journal, where you record your
prayer requests and the Lord’s answers. The ancient Israelites often ran into
problems because they didn’t remember all God had done for them in their past,
such as parting the Red Sea to save them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. But if
you keep a prayer journal, you won’t suffer from the same “amnesia.” As you
regularly write down God’s answers to your prayers, you’ll remember His
wonderful care for you, and you’ll automatically be filled with gratefulness
and adoration toward God.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
A Time To Forget
Let us forget the things that vexed and tried us, the worrying things that caused our souls to fret, the hopes that, cherished long, were still denied us, Let us forget. Let us forget the little slights that pained us, the greater wrongs that rankle sometimes yet; the pride with which some lofty one disdained us, Let us forget. But blessings manifold, past all deserving, Kind words and helpful deeds, a countless throng; the fault overcome, the rectitude unswerving Let us remember long. The sacrifice of love, the generous giving, when friends were few, that handclasp warm and strong, the fragrance of each life of holy living, Let us remember long. Whatever things were good and true and gracious whatever of the right has triumphed over wrong, what love of God or man has rendered precious, Let us remember long.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Leadership For Christ
Without a surrendered life in Christ, you likely have no plan for the future and no method of getting there. A person can be the most goal-oriented person in the world with a clearly defined strategy for reaching his or her goal. However, this person has little in life if the person is spiritually lost. We are all lost or have been lost in our life. When you are found in Christ's heart and you have invited Him into your heart, you are no longer lost. As a found person, you do not haphazardly live life because you have a purpose and a direction in your life. As a found person, your new purpose and direction are ordained by God. When you have accepted Christ into your life you are found. You are no longer lost. When you have Christ in your life, there is a purpose related to everything you do. When you are found, you can take specific aim at a target, and you can have a clear vision of the target unclouded by Satan's wiles and temptations. When you have a specific target, and you have a clear vision of your target, you appear as a focused and convincing person to others. In this instance, everyone will look at you as a leader because your effort at remaining focused gives you the aura of a leader. As a leader for Christ, you have a purpose in life and you have guidance for all that you do. As a leader for Christ, you are no longer at the mercy of Satan because Satan is at your mercy. As a leader for Christ, you no longer live life as life comes at you because you live your life on purpose with a purpose. As a leader for Christ, you live life with a goal, specifically God's goal, and you have a method of achieving His goal.
Monday, November 8, 2021
Knowing in Greater Abundance
Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.
We can know an
abundance of facts about many subjects. Yet, knowing an abundance of facts does
not mean we possess wisdom. Knowing in greater abundance is possible only if we
know spiritual truths. We can live an abundant life if we know we are to
forgive and we do forgive. We can live an abundant life if we know we are to
live in the truth and we then live in the truth. To know what we are supposed
to know is not enough. To know what we are supposed to do is not enough. We
must live out what we are supposed to know and do what we are supposed to do.
We are supposed to live out humility, patience, and determination. When we know
and we live out, we then know in greater abundance. We can know many facts
about God. However, do we know God as a real person in our real-time in our
reality? Knowing in greater abundance leads us to a place in our hearts where
we know we need God in every circumstance. Knowing in greater abundance leads
us to the foot of Christ's cross where He died to set us free.
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Knowing God Hears You
Psalm 5:1-3---Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will lookup.
Each of us can go
past believing in God to actually knowing Him. We can take a great deal about
God for granted. We can take our faith structure for granted. We can even take
the fact our prayers are heard by God for granted. In faith and believing, we
say our prayers. We then go on to the next day and we say our prayers, with our
prayer activity going on like this for months and years without ever really
knowing God hears us. Each of us is no bigger than a mustard seed compared to
all the other people on the earth. What are we when we are compared to all the
contents of the physical universe? Relatively speaking, we are nothing compared
to all the contents of the universe. In physical terms, if we take all of the
physical universe and compare the size of all of God's created physical
universe to us, we are nearly invisible. Yet He hears us. God hears you when
you pray. As small as you are, He hears you and He knows all about you. He
knows about the numbering of the hairs on your head. When you come to know God
hears you then a miraculous power of God flows down into our hearts and lives.
God's miraculous power flows into your life when you come to "know"
beyond any doubt God hears you…when you come to "know" you are not
invisible to God but are fully known, fully heard, and fully loved by Him, His
miraculous power flows.
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Knocking On The Door
Matthew 7:7-8---Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
You can believe
Christ was the Son of God, believe He died on the Cross for you personally, and
believe He rose again on the third day. You can believe these truths in an
objective way just as you can believe it is now 65 degrees outside because you
can read an outdoor thermometer. You can believe these truths, but will you
take other steps on your faith journey? Will you begin to dig deep into the
love and truth of your Christian faith? Will you seek, ask, and knock for the
rest of your life? According to the words of Jesus, there is a spiritual door
within you. You have the power and the decision-making ability to open this
spiritual door or you have the power to leave the door closed. Clearly, Jesus
is putting the responsibility for action upon you by telling you to ask, seek,
and knock on your spiritual door. Like a physical door, people can give a few
tiny taps on this spiritual door and quickly walk away. People can pound for a
long time on this door. People can knock on this door and not really want to be
there. When this door is finally opened some people may get frightened and back
off and run away. However, if you remain, the door will be opened and He will
welcome you, talk with you, and be with you.
Friday, November 5, 2021
Keeping Your Focus on Christ
Psalms 25:15---Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
Each of us has the
ability to think and focus our thinking on given subjects or ideas. As a
Christian, one of your obligations to Christ is to hold Him as the centerpiece
of your life. Every minute of every day for the rest of your life should be
devoted to holding Him as your reason and purpose for living. Christ should be
your focus when you wage the many battles of life. He should be your focus when
trying to make decisions about your family, your job or career, your friends,
your church, or any other matter. Yet, we know in reality, we are distracted
from holding Christ as the center of our life. Millions of thoughts, ideas,
images, cares, worries, concerns, fears, anxieties, phobias, and doubts can
assail you each day. Despite this attack upon you from outside your will, you
can counter the distractions by willfully and purposely spending time in prayer
and meditation each day. You can, each and every hour, pause for just a second
to refocus your heart on Him.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Keep Your Eyes On Jesus
Matthew 14:30, ---But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Have you ever faced a
storm in your life, one so big that you thought you’d never see the light of
day again? Maybe you face one even now, and you feel threatened and dismayed by
the waves crashing around you. Peter knew exactly how you feel. After a long,
hard day of ministry, Christ had sent his disciples to sail across the Sea of
Galilee while He climbed a mountain alone to commune with His Father. The
disciples’ crossing was anything but smooth. The winds had whipped the sea into
a frenzy, and the disciples struggled to control their boat. Unable to make
headway, the disciples feared for their lives. Then, in the last watch of the
night, Jesus came to them—walking on the water! When the disciples saw Jesus
coming toward them, they were terrified. They thought they had seen a ghost,
and they cried aloud. But Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I, don’t be afraid.”
Peter responded, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”
Jesus replied, “Come.” As Peter began to walk on the surface of the water, he
focused his sights on Jesus. Step after step, he walked on top of the water!
But, as the sea continued to churn around him, Peter looked at the water, the
storm and began to sink. He cried out in terror, “Lord, save me!” So Jesus
reached out His hand and rescued him, saying, “You of little faith.” As long as Peter kept his eyes trained on his
Lord, he had safe passage in the midst of a raging storm. But when he focused
on the churning waters, he lost sight of Jesus and lost his footing, too. As
you face storms in your life, don’t look at the waves crashing around you.
Instead, keep your eyes focused on Jesus. He can steady and sustain you through
any storm. Look at Him and walk toward Him—He’ll give you safe passage through
the raging seas.
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Keep Your Balance
Proverbs 11:1---A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.
The food of the heart
is love. We thrive upon love. However, where is God's love when disaster
strikes, or when we lose a loved one? Where is God's love when we are staring
at death's door? Where is God's love when we and those we care about become
innocent victims? Where is God and His love when we are alone in our private
pain? Where is God and His love when we are besieged on every side by every
spiritual enemy? We have all been in places in our life when these questions
occur. The reality for most of us is we ask these questions because there are
times when His love seems absent. There are times when God is silent when we
talk with Him. There are times when it seems God has forgotten us. Many of us
have wrestled with these questions for years. The Bible is full of answers for
us and most of us know what the answers are. We know in our mind God is with us
all the time. However, there are times when we need another way of looking at
the way God works. Think of God's presence in your life like training wheels on
a bicycle. Sometimes you lean to one side while you are learning to ride the
bike and the training wheels keep you from falling over. At other times, when
you have your balance the training wheels never touch the ground. In either
case, if you are so busy just trying to keep your balance, you are never aware
of the training wheels. Many times in our life, we are too busy trying to keep
our balance to know or notice how Christ is still there supporting us.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Just Passing Through—Our Real Home Is Waiting
1 Peter 2:11--- “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.”
God saved you out of
this world and sent you back into this world to tell the world that Jesus
saves. He is scattering you as precious seed. You are an ambassador upon
foreign soil for the King of kings. You are not only scattered as a precious
seed, you are also scattered as a persevering saint. You are a foreigner in a
land where you march to a different drummer. You don’t settle down in this
world. It’s not your home; you’re only passing through. You ought to pray,
“Lord, if I am building a nest, put a thorn in it.” If you dabble and delight
in this world, yet your citizenship is in heaven, you’re going to have one foot
in the world and one in heaven—just enough religion to make you miserable in
the world and just enough of the world to make you miserable in your spiritual
life.
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