May 31, 2012

Psalm 37:16-19 NASB

Better is the little of the righteous

Than the abundance of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

But the LORD sustains the righteous.

The LORD knows the days of the blameless,

And their inheritance will be forever.

They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,

And in the days of famine they will have abundance.

Encouraging Words...

God does take care of us when we do the right things. It is not always easy to stand up for the truth, but it is the right thing to do. It is not always easy to go against the grain or challenge our friends or coworkers in the church who might be doing things that aren't godly, but is the right thing to do. We are to live our lives for Christ and not for men. What is better, a reward now from man or a reward later from God?

May 30, 2012

Numbers 6:24-26 NASB

The LORD bless you, and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.

Encouraging Words...

Tonight we had a healing service at our church and it is good to know that our Lord is there to bless us, to keep us, to make His face shine on us, to be gracious to us, to lift up His countenance upon us and to give us peace. Our Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and He is still in the healing business. May your day be blessed.

May 29, 2012

James 5:16 NASB

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Command with a Promise...

It is interesting that we are given the command to confess our sins to one another and then to pray for one another, which is then followed by the statement that our effective prayer can accomplish much. We do not, and cannot, live our lives as Christians in a vacuum. So often the modern Christian approach to life is to live solo lives, lives that we define. The historical Christian approach that dates back to the beginning of the church calls for living our lives in community. We need each other.

May 28, 2012 -- Memorial Day

A Bag Of Tools 

Isn't it strange, that princes and kings, 

and clowns that caper in sawdust rings, 

and common-folk like you and me, 

are builders for eternity? 

To each is given a bag of tools, 

a shapeless mass and a Book of Rules; 

and each must make 'ere time has flown, 

a stumbling block or a stepping stone. 

R. L. Sharpe

circa 1809

Memory Eternal...

As we remember today those who have served our country in both times of war and peace we must search our own lives and determine...are we serving those around us in our lives as these men and women did in their lives and ultimately their deaths. What better way to lift up the memories of those who have passed before us than by being living stepping stones for those around us.

May 25, 2012

Galatians 5:16 NASB

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

Personal Challenge...

Sometimes guidance from the scriptures like this one is so simple, yet so difficult to do. We can know that we have had the Holy Spirit sent to us by our Lord and that when we receive Christ and His baptism that the Holy Spirit then dwells within us. It is then up to me to stop quenching the Holy Spirit by exercising my own free will and submit to His leading, His presence in my life. Then I can carry out the desire of the Spirit rather than the desire of the flesh.

May 24, 2012

Acts 1:9-11 NASB

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Encouraging Words...

Today our church, as well as many others, is celebrating the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven. It has been forty days since He has been resurrected from the dead and He is returning to His rightful place in heaven. In John 14 He shared with His disciples that He was returning to heaven to prepare a place for His children. It is so encouraging to know that there will be a day when we, those who are truly following Him, will also go to dwell in that glorious place for the remainder of eternity. Until that day we are to be bringing heaven to those around us here on earth.

May 23, 2012

John 15:5 NLT

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Command with a Promise...

If we remain in Him then we will produce much fruit. We are commanded to live in Christ, to walk in Christ, to talk in Christ. Out of that kind of life will flow fruit...not the earthly kind of fruit, but His fruit. How true it is that apart from Him I can do nothing.

May 22, 2012

Micah 6:8 NASB

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

Personal Challenge...

Sometimes I find that the scriptures tell us in very simple terms what is required of us to live righteous and godly lives. That is not the problem. The problem is how difficult it is to abide by these simple terms. I know that it is a struggle for me to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly. But, by the grace of God I have a Savior that walks this journey with me.

May 21, 2012

Jeremiah 15:16 NASB

Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.

Personal Challenge...

Have the words of the Lord been eaten by you? Have they become your joy and the delight of your heart. From the traditions of our early church fathers the words of the Lord will be found in God's written word, the Bible, but also in the traditions of the church, in the writings and teachings of those saints whom have gone before us. It is such a joy to feast on the words of our God...even as it was in the days of Jeremiah.

May 18, 2012

Proverbs 15:1 NASB

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Personal Challenge...

I love how the Proverbs, and even the New Testament teachings for that matter, encourage us to speak gently, wisely, measuredly; but they still tell us to speak. All too often we read these verses and read into them that we are supposed to be silent. When we see wrong, or inappropriate behaviors, lies or deceit, it is still expected that we will speak up. It is not God's way to sweep things under the carpet. Didn't Jesus even speak about how the light, His light, will reveal the secrets that are kept in the dark?

May 17, 2012

Psalm 4:8 NLT

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.

Encouraging Words…

The Living Word of God does not tell us that life will always be easy, but it does tell us that we do have Someone that we can find true peace and safety in.

May 16, 2012

Exodus 15:2 NIV

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him; he is my father’s God, and I will exalt him!

Encouraging Words...

What more can one say than this? My LORD and my God are the source of everything for those who love Him. Once again I have seen His mighty hand at work in my life and no one can ever convince me that He does not exist, or that He is not in control, or that He is the God of love.

May 14, 2012

Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Encouraging Words...

It gets so easy to put the cart before the horse and try to work our way into salvation. It is clear throughout the scripture and the traditions of the church that our salvation can only come from our Lord and the work that He has done. However, salvation does not end there, it actually begins there. Through God's grace, the work that He has done, we are created in Christ to do good works, works that God has prepared for us to do. Just as we cannot work our way into salvation we should not be so caught up in worrying about why we are doing good works that we don't do them just so someone doesn't think we are trying to earn our way to salvation. If we are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ then we should be doing His work.

May 11, 2012

John 12:46 NIV

I have come into the world as a light, so that no-one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Command with a Promise...

Believe in Christ and you will no longer be in the darkness. Jesus is the Light and in Him is no darkness. If this is true in the lives of those who claim to believe in Him then how is it that sometimes those who proclaim Him as Lord do things that can only be accounted to darkness. It really boils down to one of two things...sin or not truly believing in Him. Praise be to God that He forgives of our sins...when we confess them and turn from them, i.e. repent. Lord have mercy if it turns out that we are really living the life of a goat rather than a sheep and using His name, His kingdom, for our own good.

May 10, 2012

Hosea 6:6 NASB
For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Personal Challenge...

As this journey called life continues I find God's Word reminding me that what He wants from me is loyalty (mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, goodness, faithfulness) and not all of the actions or imitations of sacrifices (offerings, worship). I am learning that it is so easy for many of us in the church to get caught up in the trappings of success (building a large ministry, reaching a lot of people, building a worldly kingdom instead of a heavenly kingdom) and fail to see the methods by which these successes have been accomplished. We must always ask, "At whose expense is this success being achieved?" But then again, if we define success by God's definitions then when we are working toward that there will not be any worries about who we are hurting in the process. because seeking God's success will build up those around us, not tear them down.

May 9, 2012

Isaiah 40:8 NLT

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

Encouraging Words...

It is such a blessing to know that word of our God stands forever, forever true, forever unchanging. It is these words that we must hold on to and run back to when the words spoken in the world and of the world come our way. Not only does the grass wither and the flower fall, the words of men wither and fall as well.

May 8, 2012

Proverbs 29:23 NIV

A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honour.

Personal Challenge...

There is that difficult word again, humble (lowly spirit). Isn't this what our Lord desires of us on a regular basis, to be humble before Him and our fellow man and woman? Isn't this part of that daily struggle within us, pride versus humility? He not only desires us to choose Him, but to choose how we live before Him...in humility.

May 7, 2012

Psalm 30:5 NASB

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Encouraging Words…

Living a life in Christ is not a life filled with our every wish being fulfilled, our every want provided. A life in Christ is one of discipline, especially when we walk away from Him and His teachings. It is a life of commitment and work…for Him. But is also a life that is filled with His favor, His love, His presence. There will be those hard times, but they are times where weeping will last for the night, but the morning will be greeted with a shout of joy. I would have nothing other than a life in Christ.

May 4, 2012

Numbers 14:18 NASB

The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.

Personal Challenge...

I am so thankful that the LORD is so loving and forgiving. It is because of this that He is so patient with my propensity to sin and to turn my back on Him. I have often viewed this verse as God warning us that our sins will be paid for by our children and their children. Actually it seems to be saying that the seeds of sin, the lessons that we teach our children through our sinfulness, will be planted in our children's lives and begin to grow. Oh how important it is for us to live Godly and righteous lives before our children...especially when it means going against what is popular in our culture. I hope and pray that my children and their children will forgive me for the seeds of sin that I planted in their lives in my younger years.

May 3, 2012

1 Peter 1:13-16 NASB

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Personal Challenge…

As followers of Christ we are holy…this means that our lives should be full of actions that both demonstrate that holiness and continue to drive us deeper into being holy. Some of these actions are clearly presented in these verses. All I know is that I certainly need the Holy One to be doing this work within me because I cannot do it on my own.

May 2, 2012

Galatians 6:9 NASB

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Encouraging Words...

The life a Christian is a life of works. It is true that our works do not earn us our entry into the Kingdom of God, however our life is to be filled with doing those things that God calls us to do. Our journey toward righteousness is not passive but active.

May 1, 2012

Acts 5:29 NASB

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Personal Challenge…

And who is it that I really obey? Is it God and His commandments, or is it man and his rules and expectations? Or worse yet…it is me and what I want to do? When faced with punishment and possibly even immediate death, the apostles of old stood firm on their commitment to obey God. Many of our church fathers and mothers through the history of the church have taken this stand and been martyred for their commitment to God and His Son Jesus. God does not expect any less from me.