By Dr Charles Stanley
16This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father—that's reading the story backward. He is our faith father. 17-18 We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!" 19-25 Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God. Rom. 4: 16-21 (MSG)
As we all know too well, life often confronts us with unexpected or painful circumstances. Sometimes these situations leave us feeling fearful, discouraged, and frustrated. Consequently, we may question whether the Lord truly is reliable.
During such troubling moments, we can rest on this essential truth: The Lord is perfect in His love. Consider verse 5 from 1 John 1: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” In other words, everything our heavenly Father does is righteous. And if He is a God of love, then it is impossible for Him to mistreat any of His children. We can be assured that whatever He places or permits in our lives is good and that His motives are perfectly pure.
Jesus demonstrated this deep care for us when He offered His blood on the cross—there exists no greater display of love than giving one’s life for someone else (John 15:13). Our sin debt could be paid only with a flawless sacrifice (Deut. 17:1). Christ, the perfect lamb, was willing to die in our place so that we could have an eternal relationship with the Father. If God gave us His Son—the most precious and amazing gift possible—to take care of our greatest need, then we can trust Him to provide for all areas of our life.
When difficulty arises, remember how much God loves you. He proved this by willingly giving His Son to take the penalty for your sin. Even when circumstances are painful, you can be confident that you are held in the capable and caring hands of your heavenly Father, because of His love.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
"Grace—God’s Second Chance"
By Dr, Charles Stanley
1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Rom. 5:1-6
Scripture records a grim picture of mankind: dead in our sins, under God's wrath, and subject to eternal separation from Him (Eph. 2:1-3). Through the cross, He gives us a second chance to be in a loving relationship with Him. When we place our faith in Christ, He pours out His unconditional love—His grace—upon us.
Because of grace, we have been justified by faith. Justification is a declaration by God that we are not guilty in His sight. At salvation, Jesus' death on the cross is counted as payment for our sins. All our disobedience—past, present, and future— is fully forgiven.
The means of obtaining this pardon is through genuine faith in Jesus Christ. What does that look like? It's a faith that accepts the Lord's judgment that we are sinners who are unable to rescue ourselves and in need of a Savior. It believes that Jesus paid for our sins through His death, that God accepted His payment on our behalf, and that we are forgiven and made part of His family. If we have true faith, we'll give Him our allegiance and wholeheartedly seek to serve Him.
Grace also gives us peace with the Lord. Before salvation, a person is His enemy, under a sentence of eternal death. But after trusting in Christ, that individual is adopted into God's family and has His favor forever.
Through grace, we've been given a second chance. Instead of the eternal punishment that we deserved, we've received acceptance through faith in Christ (Rom 15:7) and have become members of God's family (Rom. 8:15). Make full use of this second opportunity by passionately pursuing Him.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Rom. 5:1-6
Scripture records a grim picture of mankind: dead in our sins, under God's wrath, and subject to eternal separation from Him (Eph. 2:1-3). Through the cross, He gives us a second chance to be in a loving relationship with Him. When we place our faith in Christ, He pours out His unconditional love—His grace—upon us.
Because of grace, we have been justified by faith. Justification is a declaration by God that we are not guilty in His sight. At salvation, Jesus' death on the cross is counted as payment for our sins. All our disobedience—past, present, and future— is fully forgiven.
The means of obtaining this pardon is through genuine faith in Jesus Christ. What does that look like? It's a faith that accepts the Lord's judgment that we are sinners who are unable to rescue ourselves and in need of a Savior. It believes that Jesus paid for our sins through His death, that God accepted His payment on our behalf, and that we are forgiven and made part of His family. If we have true faith, we'll give Him our allegiance and wholeheartedly seek to serve Him.
Grace also gives us peace with the Lord. Before salvation, a person is His enemy, under a sentence of eternal death. But after trusting in Christ, that individual is adopted into God's family and has His favor forever.
Through grace, we've been given a second chance. Instead of the eternal punishment that we deserved, we've received acceptance through faith in Christ (Rom 15:7) and have become members of God's family (Rom. 8:15). Make full use of this second opportunity by passionately pursuing Him.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
"Are you a A Person of Integrity?"
Scripture Of The Day: "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." - Proverbs 10:9
Many Christians relate integrity and ethics only to those in leadership. In other words, leaders, including pastors, are supposed to be people of integrity and ethics, but these characteristics are not as important for others. Actually, every born-again Believer should be a person of integrity and ethics.
The concept of integrity has been given little attention by philosophers but has been a central concern in most religions. Integrity, after all, is a sort of wholeness, and most religions teach that God calls us to live an undivided life in accordance with divine principle. For instance, in Islam, the sharia, the divine path that God directs people to walk in, guides all legal and moral statutes. In Judaism, the study of the Torah and the Talmud reveal the rules under which God's people are expected to live.
We, as Christians, are called in Matthew 5:8 to be pure in heart, which implies an undivided focus in following God's rule. It calls for no compromise, deviation or avoidance of the price tag that may have to be paid to stand for what we know to be right. We are also told in Proverbs 11:3: "The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them."
In other words, integrity guides us to the truth. Integrity is not, in and of itself, the truth. It is a guide for acting on the truth, and it forces you to question and analyze your situation. Integrity is the process of discerning right from wrong, and then doing what you know to be right.
Say you give the cashier at the supermarket $10 to pay for $8.50 worth of groceries, but the cashier hands you back $11.50 in change. It is your integrity that recognizes that you have been given too much change and compels you to give back the extra $10.
Integrity guides you to know the truth by persuading you to act on what is right. Without this quality, you will go whichever way the wind is blowing, despite what you may know to be true.
Let me give you two words -- consistency and predictability. Consistency means "the same yesterday, today and forever," and predictability means knowing what will happen. This is why we can base our lives on God's Word, because God is consistent and predictable. In other words, we can count on God. You cannot have integrity without consistency and predictability.
Here is a classic illustration that serves to prove my point: The FaithDome, where most of you view me teaching on Sundays, could be filled to overflowing every Sunday if every person who claimed to be a member of Crenshaw Christian Center showed up consistently and predictably. This has not happened. We have the seats; we have the space--but where is the commitment of the members?
Most of these members would never consider robbing a liquor store or a supermarket, but they rob other members of their weekly fellowship and they rob God constantly by not bringing their tithes to church every Sunday. I am not talking about people who have to work on Sundays and have no real control over their assignments. The average job is Monday through Friday, and the person's responsibility for being at work generally stops at the end of the shift on Friday.
If God were as inconsistent and unpredictable as most Christians, we would be up the creek in a boat with no oars. We expect our employers to be consistent and predictable in paying us every payday, and we would think them very unreliable if they did not pay us consistently. Actually, for us as Christians, God is our source; our employers are simply one of the channels through which God blesses us. So why can't we be consistent with the things of the One who is taking care of us?
Jesus said in Luke 16:10-12: "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?"
This principle is so true. If you are a person of integrity, whatever else may be going on around you is irrelevant and immaterial, and it is below your personal dignity not to follow through on your word. Why should God make a commitment to you when He cannot trust you? We are our promises, our words, and we lose hold of ourselves when we do not make an effort to keep our promises. When we stay committed to a life of integrity we place ourselves in a position to receive God's blessings.
[Via Dr. Frederick Price]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Many Christians relate integrity and ethics only to those in leadership. In other words, leaders, including pastors, are supposed to be people of integrity and ethics, but these characteristics are not as important for others. Actually, every born-again Believer should be a person of integrity and ethics.
The concept of integrity has been given little attention by philosophers but has been a central concern in most religions. Integrity, after all, is a sort of wholeness, and most religions teach that God calls us to live an undivided life in accordance with divine principle. For instance, in Islam, the sharia, the divine path that God directs people to walk in, guides all legal and moral statutes. In Judaism, the study of the Torah and the Talmud reveal the rules under which God's people are expected to live.
We, as Christians, are called in Matthew 5:8 to be pure in heart, which implies an undivided focus in following God's rule. It calls for no compromise, deviation or avoidance of the price tag that may have to be paid to stand for what we know to be right. We are also told in Proverbs 11:3: "The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them."
In other words, integrity guides us to the truth. Integrity is not, in and of itself, the truth. It is a guide for acting on the truth, and it forces you to question and analyze your situation. Integrity is the process of discerning right from wrong, and then doing what you know to be right.
Say you give the cashier at the supermarket $10 to pay for $8.50 worth of groceries, but the cashier hands you back $11.50 in change. It is your integrity that recognizes that you have been given too much change and compels you to give back the extra $10.
Integrity guides you to know the truth by persuading you to act on what is right. Without this quality, you will go whichever way the wind is blowing, despite what you may know to be true.
Let me give you two words -- consistency and predictability. Consistency means "the same yesterday, today and forever," and predictability means knowing what will happen. This is why we can base our lives on God's Word, because God is consistent and predictable. In other words, we can count on God. You cannot have integrity without consistency and predictability.
Here is a classic illustration that serves to prove my point: The FaithDome, where most of you view me teaching on Sundays, could be filled to overflowing every Sunday if every person who claimed to be a member of Crenshaw Christian Center showed up consistently and predictably. This has not happened. We have the seats; we have the space--but where is the commitment of the members?
Most of these members would never consider robbing a liquor store or a supermarket, but they rob other members of their weekly fellowship and they rob God constantly by not bringing their tithes to church every Sunday. I am not talking about people who have to work on Sundays and have no real control over their assignments. The average job is Monday through Friday, and the person's responsibility for being at work generally stops at the end of the shift on Friday.
If God were as inconsistent and unpredictable as most Christians, we would be up the creek in a boat with no oars. We expect our employers to be consistent and predictable in paying us every payday, and we would think them very unreliable if they did not pay us consistently. Actually, for us as Christians, God is our source; our employers are simply one of the channels through which God blesses us. So why can't we be consistent with the things of the One who is taking care of us?
Jesus said in Luke 16:10-12: "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?"
This principle is so true. If you are a person of integrity, whatever else may be going on around you is irrelevant and immaterial, and it is below your personal dignity not to follow through on your word. Why should God make a commitment to you when He cannot trust you? We are our promises, our words, and we lose hold of ourselves when we do not make an effort to keep our promises. When we stay committed to a life of integrity we place ourselves in a position to receive God's blessings.
[Via Dr. Frederick Price]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
"Blessing"
"And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.' " - Matthew 3:16–17
Deep within the heart of every person is a longing for parental approval. We long to know our mother and father love, value, and are proud of us, that they want the best for us and they recognize what we have accomplished. From the preschooler who calls out from the sandbox, "Dad, look what I have made," to the high schooler who appears in the kitchen dressed for the prom and says, "Daddy, how do I look," adult children still can't wait to show Mom and Dad the new house. We never outgrow the desire to hear them say, "Well done."
I have heard people say, "I don't need the blessing from anyone." Yet those same persons were absolutely transformed when they received that special affirmation. Others have said, "I wouldn't take anything from my father. I can hardly stand to look at my father." But later they rushed across the country to plead for the blessing at their father's deathbed. There is something within the heart of every person - the way our Father in heaven has made us - that longs for the blessing.
What does the term blessing mean? The Hebrew word means literally to bow the knee. The blessing is a formula of words which expresses fondness for, confidence in, and recognition of a specific person. The blessing was a bestowal of favor; a transaction which gave material and spiritual benefit to the recipient. At a point in time in every Jewish family, there was a ceremony of giving the blessing. While emphasis was placed on the firstborn, all of the children received blessings. The father would call together some of his friends, and they would surround this teen-aged son or daughter. They would begin to speak things into that child's life, affirming them and offering wisdom. When the process was complete, the father would awkwardly take the son or daughter up onto his shoulders and dance about the room in a celebration saying in front of all of his peers, "This is my beloved son (or daughter) in whom I am well pleased." You might recognize those words from the New Testament. God the Father made it a point to bless God the Son. How can we do any less with our children?
[via Walk in the Word]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Deep within the heart of every person is a longing for parental approval. We long to know our mother and father love, value, and are proud of us, that they want the best for us and they recognize what we have accomplished. From the preschooler who calls out from the sandbox, "Dad, look what I have made," to the high schooler who appears in the kitchen dressed for the prom and says, "Daddy, how do I look," adult children still can't wait to show Mom and Dad the new house. We never outgrow the desire to hear them say, "Well done."
I have heard people say, "I don't need the blessing from anyone." Yet those same persons were absolutely transformed when they received that special affirmation. Others have said, "I wouldn't take anything from my father. I can hardly stand to look at my father." But later they rushed across the country to plead for the blessing at their father's deathbed. There is something within the heart of every person - the way our Father in heaven has made us - that longs for the blessing.
What does the term blessing mean? The Hebrew word means literally to bow the knee. The blessing is a formula of words which expresses fondness for, confidence in, and recognition of a specific person. The blessing was a bestowal of favor; a transaction which gave material and spiritual benefit to the recipient. At a point in time in every Jewish family, there was a ceremony of giving the blessing. While emphasis was placed on the firstborn, all of the children received blessings. The father would call together some of his friends, and they would surround this teen-aged son or daughter. They would begin to speak things into that child's life, affirming them and offering wisdom. When the process was complete, the father would awkwardly take the son or daughter up onto his shoulders and dance about the room in a celebration saying in front of all of his peers, "This is my beloved son (or daughter) in whom I am well pleased." You might recognize those words from the New Testament. God the Father made it a point to bless God the Son. How can we do any less with our children?
[via Walk in the Word]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Monday, October 25, 2010
Dealing with Guilty Feelings
John 5:24-26
Believers in Christ often wrestle with discouragement and shame over things they have done wrong. Some may be especially grieved about mistakes made prior to receiving Jesus as Savior. But what does Scripture say about God’s view of our guilt?
Until we were saved, our fleshly nature led us to rebel against the Lord and choose our own way. This sinful state separated us from Him and placed us under His wrath (Rom. 2:5-8). All of mankind was guilty before God (Rom. 3:23), but when we trusted Jesus as Savior, we were cleansed by His blood (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:14). He took us from a state of guilt and separation from God to one of forgiveness and acceptance by the Father. Our shame was removed, and Christ’s righteousness was credited to our account (Rom. 5:17). Though we may have to bear the consequences of our action, we are no longer guilty before God.
If we allow shame over previous deeds to continue, we will experience a divided mind, one that focuses too much on the past. Some of us may doubt God’s love and ask, How could He care for someone like me? Others may feel unworthy to be His child—and as a result, draw away from Him. Guilty feelings can weigh us down, sapping our energy for today’s tasks and dampening our enthusiasm for the future.
We have all made mistakes that we regret. But we have a heavenly Father who has completely forgiven our sins and removed our guilt through His Son Jesus. If you are still dealing with feelings of shame, meditate on what was accomplished at the cross, and let God’s truth set you free.
[Via Pastor Charles Stanley]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Believers in Christ often wrestle with discouragement and shame over things they have done wrong. Some may be especially grieved about mistakes made prior to receiving Jesus as Savior. But what does Scripture say about God’s view of our guilt?
Until we were saved, our fleshly nature led us to rebel against the Lord and choose our own way. This sinful state separated us from Him and placed us under His wrath (Rom. 2:5-8). All of mankind was guilty before God (Rom. 3:23), but when we trusted Jesus as Savior, we were cleansed by His blood (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:14). He took us from a state of guilt and separation from God to one of forgiveness and acceptance by the Father. Our shame was removed, and Christ’s righteousness was credited to our account (Rom. 5:17). Though we may have to bear the consequences of our action, we are no longer guilty before God.
If we allow shame over previous deeds to continue, we will experience a divided mind, one that focuses too much on the past. Some of us may doubt God’s love and ask, How could He care for someone like me? Others may feel unworthy to be His child—and as a result, draw away from Him. Guilty feelings can weigh us down, sapping our energy for today’s tasks and dampening our enthusiasm for the future.
We have all made mistakes that we regret. But we have a heavenly Father who has completely forgiven our sins and removed our guilt through His Son Jesus. If you are still dealing with feelings of shame, meditate on what was accomplished at the cross, and let God’s truth set you free.
[Via Pastor Charles Stanley]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Saturday, October 23, 2010
"The Danger of Anger"
Ephesians 4:26-27
Yesterday we learned how to deal with lingering anger in our lives. Today we’ll discover God’s principle for preventing long-term resentment. The key is to deal with this dangerous emotion promptly.
It’s important to realize that believers can have moments of anger and still remain right with God. Yet anger that is allowed to linger and fester is an opportunity for Satan.
He quickly plants justifications in our mind: That person deserves to be yelled at. You shouldn’t be treated that way! God understands that you’re frustrated. By handing people excuses to build a defense for harboring fury, Satan creates a stronghold in their lives. It is a foolish man or woman who hides behind that wall (Eccl. 7:9).
We are not to lay even one brick for the Devil’s stronghold. Instead, believers must respond to provocation by forgiving others as God forgives. His mercy is unconditional; there’s no wrong that He does not pardon. Believers cannot stand before God and justify harboring long-term anger. So we must release it at once through forgiveness.
We can further protect ourselves by identifying frequent irritants. When those situations (or people) loom, we should pray that God makes us quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). That is the spiritual fruit of self-control in action.
Anger produces only rotten fruit—sour relationships, a poor witness, etc. The wise believer takes a two-fold approach to dealing with it. First, heed the Bible’s 300-plus warnings about this dangerous emotion and be vigilant against it. And second, forsake your anger in favor of forgiveness.
[Via Pastor Charles Stanley]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Yesterday we learned how to deal with lingering anger in our lives. Today we’ll discover God’s principle for preventing long-term resentment. The key is to deal with this dangerous emotion promptly.
It’s important to realize that believers can have moments of anger and still remain right with God. Yet anger that is allowed to linger and fester is an opportunity for Satan.
He quickly plants justifications in our mind: That person deserves to be yelled at. You shouldn’t be treated that way! God understands that you’re frustrated. By handing people excuses to build a defense for harboring fury, Satan creates a stronghold in their lives. It is a foolish man or woman who hides behind that wall (Eccl. 7:9).
We are not to lay even one brick for the Devil’s stronghold. Instead, believers must respond to provocation by forgiving others as God forgives. His mercy is unconditional; there’s no wrong that He does not pardon. Believers cannot stand before God and justify harboring long-term anger. So we must release it at once through forgiveness.
We can further protect ourselves by identifying frequent irritants. When those situations (or people) loom, we should pray that God makes us quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). That is the spiritual fruit of self-control in action.
Anger produces only rotten fruit—sour relationships, a poor witness, etc. The wise believer takes a two-fold approach to dealing with it. First, heed the Bible’s 300-plus warnings about this dangerous emotion and be vigilant against it. And second, forsake your anger in favor of forgiveness.
[Via Pastor Charles Stanley]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Friday, October 22, 2010
"Written On Your Heart"
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“They demonstrate that God’s law is written on their hearts...” (Romans 2:15, NLT)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
In the Old Testament, God’s commands were written on stone tablets and kept in the tabernacle. Today, when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we become His temple. He lives in us and engraves His promises and commands in our hearts.
How can you be sure of this? This verse goes on to say that it’s because your conscience, or inner man, has a stronger knowing of what is right and what is wrong; what you should and shouldn’t do. Because you are drawn to follow the Word of God, you know that the Spirit of God is on the inside of you guiding and directing you. Every time you follow His leading, your ability to hear and know Him is strengthened. But if you choose to bypass that prompting on the inside, your heart can become hard which will affect your ability to hear Him in the future.
Make the decision today to demonstrate that God’s law is written on your heart by quickly obeying His leading. As you do, He’ll guide you down the path of blessing, and you’ll experience the abundant life He has in store for you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your home in me and for guiding me down the path of peace and blessing. Help me to clearly follow Your promptings all the days of my life so I can honor You in all I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen
Be Blessed!
Dawn
“They demonstrate that God’s law is written on their hearts...” (Romans 2:15, NLT)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
In the Old Testament, God’s commands were written on stone tablets and kept in the tabernacle. Today, when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we become His temple. He lives in us and engraves His promises and commands in our hearts.
How can you be sure of this? This verse goes on to say that it’s because your conscience, or inner man, has a stronger knowing of what is right and what is wrong; what you should and shouldn’t do. Because you are drawn to follow the Word of God, you know that the Spirit of God is on the inside of you guiding and directing you. Every time you follow His leading, your ability to hear and know Him is strengthened. But if you choose to bypass that prompting on the inside, your heart can become hard which will affect your ability to hear Him in the future.
Make the decision today to demonstrate that God’s law is written on your heart by quickly obeying His leading. As you do, He’ll guide you down the path of blessing, and you’ll experience the abundant life He has in store for you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your home in me and for guiding me down the path of peace and blessing. Help me to clearly follow Your promptings all the days of my life so I can honor You in all I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Thursday, October 21, 2010
"Come Back"
Resist the Donkey spirit (stubborness, pride, selfishness & self -sufficiency) and seek the Lord while He may yet be found. The voice of God is always calling us. Whether we are true believers, borderline or in total rebellion, His Spirit is always drawing and inviting us declaring: "this is the Way walk in it". Let us no longer be hardhearted and dull of hearing, following our own way.
1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, ‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.” 4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever. Hos. 14: 1-4
The people of Israel had backslidden, and God wanted Hosea to show them how much that hurt Him. So, in the first few chapters of Hosea, we read a bizarre story: God commanded the prophet to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Put on display as the faithful husband of an unfaithful spouse, Hosea experienced a pain similar to what God felt when Israel was spiritually unfaithful.
As Hosea wrote the ending of his book, he made it clear that despite the pain the people of Israel caused the living God, He still promised healing, forgiveness, and fruitfulness if they would return to Him: “I will heal their backsliding,” He said. “I will love them freely . . . . Those who dwell under his shadow shall return” (Hos. 14:4-7).
Life for the person who turns his back on God is often characterized by guilt and dissatisfaction. The truly born-again believer who has fallen into a lifestyle of sin knows deep down that spiritual unfaithfulness to God takes a toll.
But just as the God of grace offered Israel forgiveness and fruitfulness, even so today He offers restoration to the truly repentant (1 John 1:9). Have you made poor choices that have caused you to slip away? Come back. Repent and seek restored fellowship with the Lord today.
If you’ve rebelled and turned away From what you know is true, Turn back to God—He will forgive,
His pardon waits for you. —Sper
Peter said, "Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites." Acts 2: 38-39 (MSG)
P.S.
It’s not too late to make a fresh start with God.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, ‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.” 4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever. Hos. 14: 1-4
The people of Israel had backslidden, and God wanted Hosea to show them how much that hurt Him. So, in the first few chapters of Hosea, we read a bizarre story: God commanded the prophet to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Put on display as the faithful husband of an unfaithful spouse, Hosea experienced a pain similar to what God felt when Israel was spiritually unfaithful.
As Hosea wrote the ending of his book, he made it clear that despite the pain the people of Israel caused the living God, He still promised healing, forgiveness, and fruitfulness if they would return to Him: “I will heal their backsliding,” He said. “I will love them freely . . . . Those who dwell under his shadow shall return” (Hos. 14:4-7).
Life for the person who turns his back on God is often characterized by guilt and dissatisfaction. The truly born-again believer who has fallen into a lifestyle of sin knows deep down that spiritual unfaithfulness to God takes a toll.
But just as the God of grace offered Israel forgiveness and fruitfulness, even so today He offers restoration to the truly repentant (1 John 1:9). Have you made poor choices that have caused you to slip away? Come back. Repent and seek restored fellowship with the Lord today.
If you’ve rebelled and turned away From what you know is true, Turn back to God—He will forgive,
His pardon waits for you. —Sper
Peter said, "Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites." Acts 2: 38-39 (MSG)
P.S.
It’s not too late to make a fresh start with God.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
"Why God Speaks"
If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, )studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. However, the person who continues to study God’s perfect teachings that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don’t merely listen and forget; they actually do what God’s teachings say.
God is not one to speak in generalities. When He whispers from the pages of Scripture or confronts through a friend’s words, the Father directly addresses issues in His children’s lives. With that in mind, let’s look at His three goals for communicating with believers—namely, for us to:
1. Comprehend the truth. God wants us to learn His ways and principles, to recognize our own frailty, and to identify the needs of others. He does more than offer this as head knowledge—He makes truth applicable to our lives. For example, the Lord assured Paul that His strength was sufficient to carry the apostle through anything (2 Cor. 12:9). Circumstances taught the apostle that God’s Word was true.
2. Conform to the truth. Our lives are shaped by our belief system. What we hold as true influences our thinking. In turn, how we think affects our character, conduct, and conversation. God is determined to mold His children into Christlikeness so that they reflect His gospel to the world.
3. Communicate the truth. Every child of God is called to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Believers can know the Lord and walk in His light but still fall short of this expectation. We must share the gospel by sharing God’s truth with others and explaining how His words played out in our lives.
Notice that each goal builds on the one preceding it. Christians are a light reflecting God’s glory to this world. We shine brightly by being attentive to God’s voice and following His will. And when someone takes an interest in the source of our light, we are prepared to share the good news of Christ.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
God is not one to speak in generalities. When He whispers from the pages of Scripture or confronts through a friend’s words, the Father directly addresses issues in His children’s lives. With that in mind, let’s look at His three goals for communicating with believers—namely, for us to:
1. Comprehend the truth. God wants us to learn His ways and principles, to recognize our own frailty, and to identify the needs of others. He does more than offer this as head knowledge—He makes truth applicable to our lives. For example, the Lord assured Paul that His strength was sufficient to carry the apostle through anything (2 Cor. 12:9). Circumstances taught the apostle that God’s Word was true.
2. Conform to the truth. Our lives are shaped by our belief system. What we hold as true influences our thinking. In turn, how we think affects our character, conduct, and conversation. God is determined to mold His children into Christlikeness so that they reflect His gospel to the world.
3. Communicate the truth. Every child of God is called to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Believers can know the Lord and walk in His light but still fall short of this expectation. We must share the gospel by sharing God’s truth with others and explaining how His words played out in our lives.
Notice that each goal builds on the one preceding it. Christians are a light reflecting God’s glory to this world. We shine brightly by being attentive to God’s voice and following His will. And when someone takes an interest in the source of our light, we are prepared to share the good news of Christ.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
"AWAKE"
THROUGH THE FINISHED WORK (DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION) OF JESUS CHRIST, GOD REDEEMS US FROM THE WAGES OF SIN (DEATH) I.E. SPIRITUAL/ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM HIM, SO THAT WE CAN HELP RESCUE OTHERS. ARE YOU READY TO BE A PART OF HIS ARMY AND EQUIPPED TO DO BATTLE WITH THE ENEMY OF OUR SOULS?
Therefore stay awake - for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake. " - Mark 13:35-37
Jesus told us to live in a state of constant alertness—to stay awake! Yet historically, the church has had a recurring problem with spiritual lethargy. Jesus found deadly spiritual stupor in the church at Sardis (see Revelation 3:1-2). In Romans 13:11-14 Paul said, "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." Churches asleep at the wheel are not a new problem, which is why Jesus has continued to issue a wake-up call to each generation.
It's like we need to start thinking, "Let's wake up right now. Not next year or even in a few years. Not when my kids are grown. Let's rise up and get with God's program right now, because limited obedience is disobedience." Halfway isn't there. Halfhearted looks like half dead. "Wake up," Jesus told His church in Sardis, "Strengthen what remains" (Revelation 3:2). Paul said, "Our outer self is wasting away, [but] our inner self is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is not about your physical conditioning, though I'm not discouraging any of you from working out. Some of us really need to. All I'm saying is, at the end of the day, how are your spiritual muscles? Are you wasting away or working out? You should be getting stronger all the time. How is your prayer muscle? How is your memorization-of-and-meditation-on-God's-Word capacity? What about the strength of your witnessing?
In other words, in what areas of your spiritual life is God urging you to work out? Responding begins by waking up to the need and taking action!
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Therefore stay awake - for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake. " - Mark 13:35-37
Jesus told us to live in a state of constant alertness—to stay awake! Yet historically, the church has had a recurring problem with spiritual lethargy. Jesus found deadly spiritual stupor in the church at Sardis (see Revelation 3:1-2). In Romans 13:11-14 Paul said, "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." Churches asleep at the wheel are not a new problem, which is why Jesus has continued to issue a wake-up call to each generation.
It's like we need to start thinking, "Let's wake up right now. Not next year or even in a few years. Not when my kids are grown. Let's rise up and get with God's program right now, because limited obedience is disobedience." Halfway isn't there. Halfhearted looks like half dead. "Wake up," Jesus told His church in Sardis, "Strengthen what remains" (Revelation 3:2). Paul said, "Our outer self is wasting away, [but] our inner self is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is not about your physical conditioning, though I'm not discouraging any of you from working out. Some of us really need to. All I'm saying is, at the end of the day, how are your spiritual muscles? Are you wasting away or working out? You should be getting stronger all the time. How is your prayer muscle? How is your memorization-of-and-meditation-on-God's-Word capacity? What about the strength of your witnessing?
In other words, in what areas of your spiritual life is God urging you to work out? Responding begins by waking up to the need and taking action!
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Monday, October 18, 2010
A Call to Repentance
(12-13) God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. 14-16Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. Heb. 4: 12-16 (MSG)
How many times have you gotten caught in a “guilt cycle”? This involves confessing the same old sin, telling God you’re sorry, and promising not to do it again—while suspecting that you probably will. Then around you go again. You’ve come clean dozens of times but still have no victory. Yet there is a biblical promise that states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, emphasis added).
Friends, God is holding up His end of that promise. It’s people who fall short—we have turned confession into a rote recitation of our shortcomings. The attitude is, I’m disappointed in myself, but I am weak and God knows that. True confession means agreeing with the Lord about sin, and it is inseparably linked with repentance; they’re two sides of the same coin. To repent is to turn our back upon wrong. By looking at our sin from God’s perspective, we will see a vile, wicked habit with terrible consequences, and we’ll want to run from that as fast as possible!
In practical terms, to confess and repent requires the intentional decision to say, “By the Holy Spirit’s power, I’m turning away.” Satan will still tempt you, and failure remains a possibility. But God can break the chains of your sin, and He wants to set you free.
Victory can be immediate or a process of trading wrong choices for right ones. In some cases, temptation involving habitual sin never goes away. Then it becomes necessary to face each day in God’s strength. When you forsake sin, the power of heaven is there to help you.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
How many times have you gotten caught in a “guilt cycle”? This involves confessing the same old sin, telling God you’re sorry, and promising not to do it again—while suspecting that you probably will. Then around you go again. You’ve come clean dozens of times but still have no victory. Yet there is a biblical promise that states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, emphasis added).
Friends, God is holding up His end of that promise. It’s people who fall short—we have turned confession into a rote recitation of our shortcomings. The attitude is, I’m disappointed in myself, but I am weak and God knows that. True confession means agreeing with the Lord about sin, and it is inseparably linked with repentance; they’re two sides of the same coin. To repent is to turn our back upon wrong. By looking at our sin from God’s perspective, we will see a vile, wicked habit with terrible consequences, and we’ll want to run from that as fast as possible!
In practical terms, to confess and repent requires the intentional decision to say, “By the Holy Spirit’s power, I’m turning away.” Satan will still tempt you, and failure remains a possibility. But God can break the chains of your sin, and He wants to set you free.
Victory can be immediate or a process of trading wrong choices for right ones. In some cases, temptation involving habitual sin never goes away. Then it becomes necessary to face each day in God’s strength. When you forsake sin, the power of heaven is there to help you.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Friday, October 15, 2010
"Father, Forgive Them. . . ."
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." — Luke 23:34
Can you think of someone right now whom you cannot imagine ever being a follower of Jesus Christ? I would challenge you to start praying for that person by name. No one is beyond the reach of God's hand. Jesus prayed for the very people who crucified Him. Can you pray for someone who has wronged you?
In one Gospel account, we read that both criminals being crucified with Jesus joined in the mockery from the onlookers. The King James Version calls them thieves, but the word that was used to describe the kind of criminals they were is far more severe. These men probably were insurrectionists or murderers, engaged in trying to overthrow Rome. That is why they were being dealt with in such a harsh way. The Romans wanted to make an example out of anyone who dared to defy their power.
These two hardened criminals had heard it all, seen it all, and probably had done it all. But then Jesus made His first statement from the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). And right there on the spot, one of those hardened criminals believed. He had never seen anything like this before. Think of all that he had been exposed to during his life that brought him to the place where he was now, where he was dying for his sins and crimes. Yet to hear someone who had been treated even worse than him, who had been whipped and scourged and beaten—in addition to being crucified—actually pray for His enemies caused this man to believe. He turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42).
No one is beyond the reach of prayer. Who needs your prayers today?
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Can you think of someone right now whom you cannot imagine ever being a follower of Jesus Christ? I would challenge you to start praying for that person by name. No one is beyond the reach of God's hand. Jesus prayed for the very people who crucified Him. Can you pray for someone who has wronged you?
In one Gospel account, we read that both criminals being crucified with Jesus joined in the mockery from the onlookers. The King James Version calls them thieves, but the word that was used to describe the kind of criminals they were is far more severe. These men probably were insurrectionists or murderers, engaged in trying to overthrow Rome. That is why they were being dealt with in such a harsh way. The Romans wanted to make an example out of anyone who dared to defy their power.
These two hardened criminals had heard it all, seen it all, and probably had done it all. But then Jesus made His first statement from the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). And right there on the spot, one of those hardened criminals believed. He had never seen anything like this before. Think of all that he had been exposed to during his life that brought him to the place where he was now, where he was dying for his sins and crimes. Yet to hear someone who had been treated even worse than him, who had been whipped and scourged and beaten—in addition to being crucified—actually pray for His enemies caused this man to believe. He turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42).
No one is beyond the reach of prayer. Who needs your prayers today?
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Divine Design: The Wise Woman
Devotion:
Boiling point. That is what I had reached as I sat on the floor in my office thinking, "How did I get here?" Was it the discovery of a third needed root canal in my son's mouth only one week before he started college? Maybe it was the discussion of who was going to take over his room when he left? It was also my daughter's new job which required me to provide transportation right in the middle of the day. I guess at that point it didn't really matter. I could feel a slow boil in my heart and I feared an explosion was nearing the surface.
Proverbs 14:1 instructed me that morning with exactly what I needed to hear, "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down" (NIV).
The choice was and is yours: to be part of the divine design or the devil's demolition. Your kids don't make you blow up. Your husband doesn't cause you to feel exasperated. Proverbs makes it pretty clear, it's OUR choice. (I gotta work on this myself!)
That is a lot of power. I think, at least in America where for years women have fought for equal rights, we've missed this enormous amount of power that we have held since Eve was created: the power to build a home.
We hear of women who build innovative businesses and women who build influential ministries, but how about women who build solid homes, investing in lifelong marriages and raising up godly children as the next generation? Proverbs says this woman is wise. Never mind what society says is valuable and praiseworthy. This power is of utmost importance. This tremendous power that is within us is the power to build or destroy and we, the women of the home, hold it.
Learning to wield this power isn't something that just happens. Jesus gives insight in Matthew 12:34 when He says that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Our mouths are one of our primary tools. So, what is the mouth's source? Our heart.
That is why we have to be so careful what we allow to linger there. Is it positive thoughts about our kid's, their behavior, their future, their friends? Do we think good things about our husbands throughout the day, thankful for their hard work, grateful for their companionship?
If our mouths are currently being used to tear down instead of build up, it's time for a heart overhaul; time to get the thoughts that we dwell on lined up with the good that is right under our roof.
Friends, I hope you will join me, inviting the Holy Spirit to empower you today to build your home. Look for ways to invest and opportunities to hold back those words that tear down. He wants to make us builders. Let's say "yes"!
Lord, I want to build today. I can see what this day holds: driving in carpool, washing dirty clothes, making another supper and learning third grade math...again. Open my eyes and shut my mouth when my actions are leaning toward destruction. May I choose inspiration, not irritation. Make me a builder empowered by your Holy Spirit with strength and wisdom. Thank You for this incredible opportunity. May I make You proud! Amen.
Related Resources:
The Mom I Want to Be: Rising Above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future by T. Suzanne Eller
Some Possible Application Steps:
Start a Bible study with some friends or neighbors choosing to focus on either marriage or raising kids. (This can be online, txt, e-mail, etc)
Reflections:
What time of the day do you find most difficult when it comes to being a woman who builds and invests positively in your family?
In addition to spending time in prayer and reading God's Word, what do you need to do to be successful in building up your home: accountability with friends, more sleep, a better diet, exercise?
Power Verses:
Proverbs 14:8, "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception." (NIV)
My goal personally has always been to be the best mom and wife I can be. I got the one, maybe God has theother in store for me too!
Be Blessed My Sisters!
Dawn
Boiling point. That is what I had reached as I sat on the floor in my office thinking, "How did I get here?" Was it the discovery of a third needed root canal in my son's mouth only one week before he started college? Maybe it was the discussion of who was going to take over his room when he left? It was also my daughter's new job which required me to provide transportation right in the middle of the day. I guess at that point it didn't really matter. I could feel a slow boil in my heart and I feared an explosion was nearing the surface.
Proverbs 14:1 instructed me that morning with exactly what I needed to hear, "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down" (NIV).
The choice was and is yours: to be part of the divine design or the devil's demolition. Your kids don't make you blow up. Your husband doesn't cause you to feel exasperated. Proverbs makes it pretty clear, it's OUR choice. (I gotta work on this myself!)
That is a lot of power. I think, at least in America where for years women have fought for equal rights, we've missed this enormous amount of power that we have held since Eve was created: the power to build a home.
We hear of women who build innovative businesses and women who build influential ministries, but how about women who build solid homes, investing in lifelong marriages and raising up godly children as the next generation? Proverbs says this woman is wise. Never mind what society says is valuable and praiseworthy. This power is of utmost importance. This tremendous power that is within us is the power to build or destroy and we, the women of the home, hold it.
Learning to wield this power isn't something that just happens. Jesus gives insight in Matthew 12:34 when He says that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Our mouths are one of our primary tools. So, what is the mouth's source? Our heart.
That is why we have to be so careful what we allow to linger there. Is it positive thoughts about our kid's, their behavior, their future, their friends? Do we think good things about our husbands throughout the day, thankful for their hard work, grateful for their companionship?
If our mouths are currently being used to tear down instead of build up, it's time for a heart overhaul; time to get the thoughts that we dwell on lined up with the good that is right under our roof.
Friends, I hope you will join me, inviting the Holy Spirit to empower you today to build your home. Look for ways to invest and opportunities to hold back those words that tear down. He wants to make us builders. Let's say "yes"!
Lord, I want to build today. I can see what this day holds: driving in carpool, washing dirty clothes, making another supper and learning third grade math...again. Open my eyes and shut my mouth when my actions are leaning toward destruction. May I choose inspiration, not irritation. Make me a builder empowered by your Holy Spirit with strength and wisdom. Thank You for this incredible opportunity. May I make You proud! Amen.
Related Resources:
The Mom I Want to Be: Rising Above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future by T. Suzanne Eller
Some Possible Application Steps:
Start a Bible study with some friends or neighbors choosing to focus on either marriage or raising kids. (This can be online, txt, e-mail, etc)
Reflections:
What time of the day do you find most difficult when it comes to being a woman who builds and invests positively in your family?
In addition to spending time in prayer and reading God's Word, what do you need to do to be successful in building up your home: accountability with friends, more sleep, a better diet, exercise?
Power Verses:
Proverbs 14:8, "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception." (NIV)
My goal personally has always been to be the best mom and wife I can be. I got the one, maybe God has theother in store for me too!
Be Blessed My Sisters!
Dawn
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
"The True One"
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key
of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and
no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set
before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.
I know that you have but little power, and yet you
have kept my word and have not
denied my name.' " - Revelation 3:7-8
Jesus began His letter to the church in Philadelphia with three points of self-introduction: "the holy one, the true one, [and the one] who has the key of David." In a world filled with liars, what a refuge we find in Him! Everything that He says is true. How do we know when Satan is lying? Whenever he moves his lips. How do we know when Jesus is telling the truth? Truth is all He is (see John 14:6). He cannot lie. Satan, on the other hand, is "a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). What a comfort to know that Jesus is "the holy one, the true one."
Let's take a "grammar pause." What do you call the type of adjective spelled t-h-e? Right, the is a definite article. If you said that Jesus is a holy one or a true one - yes, there could be a lot of those. But by using the definite article - He is the holy one, the true one - Revelation 3:7 is saying something clear, specific, undisputed, and singular. There is only one Being in that category.
Calling Christ "the holy one, the true one," is an awesome claim. No wonder we love Him. No wonder we adore Him. No wonder we sit on the edge of our seats to hear what He has to say. He is unlike anyone else. His words are so true! So reliable! So on target all the time.
Let's take a brief look at the third claim from Jesus in Revelation 3:7: "who has the key of David." Apparently there was a steward in the king's court who kind of ran the operations, the finances, the facilities, and all of that. The steward, according to Isaiah 22:22, wore the key on his shoulder. Both literally and figuratively, this key meant access to the king. The "key of David" refers to access to the King of kings. This third claim is a picture.
Who has the key to the King? Jesus Christ has the key. Jesus Christ controls access to God the Father. He is totally in charge of it. That's why He went on to say, "who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens." Jesus is not only the door; He is the key that grants us access to eternal life!
[via Walk in the Word]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Advancing Through Adversity
Read
Ephesians 3:14-21
One noteworthy trait of the apostle Paul was his determination to advance through adversity. There are many people who get stuck in life’s hard spots. They are either too scared or too bitter to move through the hardship.
Instead, these folks wait for the Lord to remove the trial, but He doesn’t always work that way.
How a person responds to hardship reveals his or her true character. Hard times are when God’s people most need to match actions to words. It’s easy to say, “I trust God” or “My Lord is faithful,” particularly when life is good. But unless we recognize that He is sovereign even in adversity, the same lips will complain and seek pity. Believers who trust in the Lord’s faithfulness and supremacy will steadfastly focus on Him and thereby keep their anxiety and doubt subdued.
In order to conquer adversity, we must begin moving through it. It is essential for a suffering believer to surrender to God’s will. We may not know what His purpose is. We certainly won’t like the pain, and we’ll definitely want the situation to change—fast. But giving the Lord free rein allows Him to mature our faith, conform us to the likeness of His Son, and fulfill His unique plan for our lives.
Surrendering does not seem like a way to advance anywhere. But in reality, we’re just handing over the controls to God and saying, “You guide me where You want me to go.” Doing so requires a lot of trust. We serve a Lord who is worthy of our faith and confidence.
[via Pastor Charles Stanley]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Ephesians 3:14-21
One noteworthy trait of the apostle Paul was his determination to advance through adversity. There are many people who get stuck in life’s hard spots. They are either too scared or too bitter to move through the hardship.
Instead, these folks wait for the Lord to remove the trial, but He doesn’t always work that way.
How a person responds to hardship reveals his or her true character. Hard times are when God’s people most need to match actions to words. It’s easy to say, “I trust God” or “My Lord is faithful,” particularly when life is good. But unless we recognize that He is sovereign even in adversity, the same lips will complain and seek pity. Believers who trust in the Lord’s faithfulness and supremacy will steadfastly focus on Him and thereby keep their anxiety and doubt subdued.
In order to conquer adversity, we must begin moving through it. It is essential for a suffering believer to surrender to God’s will. We may not know what His purpose is. We certainly won’t like the pain, and we’ll definitely want the situation to change—fast. But giving the Lord free rein allows Him to mature our faith, conform us to the likeness of His Son, and fulfill His unique plan for our lives.
Surrendering does not seem like a way to advance anywhere. But in reality, we’re just handing over the controls to God and saying, “You guide me where You want me to go.” Doing so requires a lot of trust. We serve a Lord who is worthy of our faith and confidence.
[via Pastor Charles Stanley]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Answring the Call to Holiness
Many Christians do not take holiness seriously. They do not realize that to be holy is a commandment from God. Since God has called us to holiness, we have to will ourselves to live the holy life.
In 1 Peter 1:13 -16, we see God's call to holiness: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"
We also find in II Timothy 1:8-9, "...share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."
Everything that refers to God is holy. Holiness is the very essence of who He is. Our lives should always exemplify what Jesus' life was like when He lived on earth, because He exemplified what God's life is--a life of holiness. This was evident when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. No matter what Satan tempted Jesus with, or how often Satan tempted Him, Jesus never yielded to him.
Holiness is the quality of life. It should not be confused with two similar terms such as sanctification, which means to be set apart, and righteousness, which means right standing with God. When you were born again, you were made the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.
Paul tells us this in II Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He also writes in 1 Corinthians 1:2, "... to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints..."
God makes us righteous and sanctifies us through Jesus Christ; those are things that He does. But it is up to us to be obedient to His call to holiness. We do not have to do anything to be sanctified, other than to live a sanctified life. Living the sanctified life is called holiness. This is how our character gets established. So Christians can't do anything to be righteous or sanctified, but everything to be holy.
It may seem difficult, but you can be holy, just as God the Father and Jesus are holy. It will take effort because it does not come overnight. You have to train yourself and remove yourself from unholy people, places, things and actions. You have to will yourself to do it. You have to go in the opposite direction of where your flesh or your mind may want to take you. You must remember that God cannot be involved in any kind of sin or immorality. When you get into sin or immorality, you park His power at the door and enter at your own risk.
Christians should desire to be pleasing to God instead of compromising their standards to please others. They must tell themselves, "I can abstain from fornication; I will not commit adultery; I will not worry; I will not overeat; I will not be jealous; I will not be envious; I will not be full of strife; I will not lie; I will not do anything that Jesus wouldn't do because I am holy."
To be victorious in living a life of holiness, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit, the power of God, to help you because Satan will oppose you when you commit to obeying the Word of God. You need the supernatural power of God because Satan is a supernatural enemy. It is a supernatural life that God has called you to. It is a life of joy, peace and fulfillment.
The act of holiness is not an impossible task. God would never tell us to do something or be something that is impossible to accomplish. You can be holy; you can count yourself as dead to sin; you can overcome those temptations just as Jesus did because God has already made a way of escape.
Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
So, whatever challenge you're faced with, don't give up. It's a fight all your life. It doesn't matter how many times you fall; get up because one of these times, you're going to get the victory over that temptation so you can be right for God and live the life of holiness as you were called to do.
Scripture Of The Day: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
Be Blessed!
Dawn
In 1 Peter 1:13 -16, we see God's call to holiness: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"
We also find in II Timothy 1:8-9, "...share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."
Everything that refers to God is holy. Holiness is the very essence of who He is. Our lives should always exemplify what Jesus' life was like when He lived on earth, because He exemplified what God's life is--a life of holiness. This was evident when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. No matter what Satan tempted Jesus with, or how often Satan tempted Him, Jesus never yielded to him.
Holiness is the quality of life. It should not be confused with two similar terms such as sanctification, which means to be set apart, and righteousness, which means right standing with God. When you were born again, you were made the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.
Paul tells us this in II Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He also writes in 1 Corinthians 1:2, "... to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints..."
God makes us righteous and sanctifies us through Jesus Christ; those are things that He does. But it is up to us to be obedient to His call to holiness. We do not have to do anything to be sanctified, other than to live a sanctified life. Living the sanctified life is called holiness. This is how our character gets established. So Christians can't do anything to be righteous or sanctified, but everything to be holy.
It may seem difficult, but you can be holy, just as God the Father and Jesus are holy. It will take effort because it does not come overnight. You have to train yourself and remove yourself from unholy people, places, things and actions. You have to will yourself to do it. You have to go in the opposite direction of where your flesh or your mind may want to take you. You must remember that God cannot be involved in any kind of sin or immorality. When you get into sin or immorality, you park His power at the door and enter at your own risk.
Christians should desire to be pleasing to God instead of compromising their standards to please others. They must tell themselves, "I can abstain from fornication; I will not commit adultery; I will not worry; I will not overeat; I will not be jealous; I will not be envious; I will not be full of strife; I will not lie; I will not do anything that Jesus wouldn't do because I am holy."
To be victorious in living a life of holiness, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit, the power of God, to help you because Satan will oppose you when you commit to obeying the Word of God. You need the supernatural power of God because Satan is a supernatural enemy. It is a supernatural life that God has called you to. It is a life of joy, peace and fulfillment.
The act of holiness is not an impossible task. God would never tell us to do something or be something that is impossible to accomplish. You can be holy; you can count yourself as dead to sin; you can overcome those temptations just as Jesus did because God has already made a way of escape.
Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
So, whatever challenge you're faced with, don't give up. It's a fight all your life. It doesn't matter how many times you fall; get up because one of these times, you're going to get the victory over that temptation so you can be right for God and live the life of holiness as you were called to do.
Scripture Of The Day: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Friday, October 8, 2010
" What Is the Spirit-Filled Life?"
18) Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk,
but let the Spirit fill your life. 19)When you meet
together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
as you praise the Lord with all your heart.
20)Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
to thank God the Father for everything.
21)Honor Christ and put others first.
Eph 5: 18-21
Although God wants every believer to be filled with the Spirit, many Christians are not sure what this means or what it looks like. To help us understand that whatever fills us controls us, Paul cites drunkenness as a negative example of “filling” and tells us to avoid it. Every believer is indwelt by God’s Spirit, but the extent of His rule is determined by the Christian’s freedom to comply.
Think of this as a voluntary choice to surrender your life to the Holy Spirit’s control—in other words, to be sensitive to His leadership and guidance, obedient to His promptings, and dependent upon His strength. The evidence of the Spirit’s control is revealed in a person’s character. Those who have yielded their lives to Christ’s leadership are continually being transformed into His likeness. The degree of surrender determines the level of
transformation.
Even though good works and faithful service are a result of being filled with the Spirit, they are not necessarily signs of it. Remember, we are talking about character, not what we do. It’s easier to serve the Lord in some manner than to love the unlovable or be patient with difficult people. But when the Spirit is in charge of our lives, He does through us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Each believer decides who rules his life, by either actively surrendering to Christ or deliberately going his own way. Even those who try to avoid the issue by making no choice at all unknowingly opt for self-rule. The fullness of the Spirit and godly character await those who choose God over self.
[via Pastor Charles Stanley]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Make Allowance
"Make allowance for each other's faults... " - Colossians 3:13 NLT
When it comes to forgiving, you can't say it better than Tim Stafford did: 'I would rather be cheated a hundred times, than develop a heart of stone.'
The Bible says, 'Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.' You don't get to choose who you'll forgive. Love is a command; forgiveness is an act of obedience. 'He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother' (1 John 4:21 NIV). You can't be closer to God than you are to the people you love least. God sets the bar high because grudges are like cancer, and forgiveness is the laser that removes them. Bitterness chains us to the past, destroys families, divides churches and sours relationships. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the handcuffs of hate.
Take your hurt feelings to God and say, 'Point out anything... that offends you... ' (Psalm 139:24 NLT). It takes courage, but that's the kind of prayer He answers. It gets easier as you grow in Christ; in the meantime you have to work at it. As a child of God His Spirit lives inside you. You're no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:14). God knows it's hard to forgive deep-seated hurts, but He will give you grace to do it.
To 'make allowance' means to take a charitable view and consider extenuating circumstances. People change and grow over time, so don't insist on clinging to a limited, outdated view of them. Try to see them as they are today.
Most folks are doing their best based on the knowledge and understanding they have now, so give them a break!
Father, thank You for Your hand of blessing in my life today!
FAITH DECLARES, before I have a need, GOD has already put in place a DIVINE supply!
Be Blessed!
Dawn
When it comes to forgiving, you can't say it better than Tim Stafford did: 'I would rather be cheated a hundred times, than develop a heart of stone.'
The Bible says, 'Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.' You don't get to choose who you'll forgive. Love is a command; forgiveness is an act of obedience. 'He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother' (1 John 4:21 NIV). You can't be closer to God than you are to the people you love least. God sets the bar high because grudges are like cancer, and forgiveness is the laser that removes them. Bitterness chains us to the past, destroys families, divides churches and sours relationships. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the handcuffs of hate.
Take your hurt feelings to God and say, 'Point out anything... that offends you... ' (Psalm 139:24 NLT). It takes courage, but that's the kind of prayer He answers. It gets easier as you grow in Christ; in the meantime you have to work at it. As a child of God His Spirit lives inside you. You're no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:14). God knows it's hard to forgive deep-seated hurts, but He will give you grace to do it.
To 'make allowance' means to take a charitable view and consider extenuating circumstances. People change and grow over time, so don't insist on clinging to a limited, outdated view of them. Try to see them as they are today.
Most folks are doing their best based on the knowledge and understanding they have now, so give them a break!
Father, thank You for Your hand of blessing in my life today!
FAITH DECLARES, before I have a need, GOD has already put in place a DIVINE supply!
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Holy, Living Sacrifices
Scripture Of The Day:
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Romans 12:1
In Exodus 12:5, God commanded each household in Israel to take an unblemished lamb and slaughter it on the Passover. The blood of the Lamb was to be put on the doorposts of their homes so that God would pass over them and not strike down their firstborn as He did to the Egyptians. This was a clear foreshadowing of Christ who would shed His innocent blood for us as the perfect Lamb of God.
Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:19 that we have not been bought with perishable things such as silver and gold “but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” Our holy standing before God come judgment day is going to be because we have received Christ as the One Who alone could forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). It is His blood which can set us free, and nothing else, because only He was the unblemished and spotless Lamb of God.
But the imagery of unblemished sacrifices doesn’t end here. Jesus refers to those who believe in Him as His sheep (John 10:27), and Paul says in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” There is a sense in which our lives are to resemble the unblemished lamb of the Passover and the holy, unblemished Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Just as Christ was holy and laid down His life, so, too, are we to grow in holiness and lay down our lives for others. We, the sheep of God, are to be holy sacrifices while we are yet living. This we can do each day as we present our bodies, hearts, and minds as clean and holy to God.
Paul speaks of dying daily (1 Corinthians 15:31, Galatians 2:20) and Jesus says that we must take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). Each day, we must offer ourselves to God spiritually, reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11). We are alive because Christ has given us new life. We are holy because Christ has made us righteous in His perfect blood. Yet we are also to be sacrifices, living daily in practical holiness as we let God accomplish His good and perfect will in and through us. Paul summarized this mindset in Galatians 2:20 when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 5:24 echoes this theme saying, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” A holy, living sacrifice lets Christ have His way and daily reckons himself dead to sin and free to let Christ live out His will in and through him. Being a sacrifice implies a willingness to die. We may never have to physically die for being a Christian, but daily we do need to die to the flesh as we remember by faith that we have been bought with the blood of the perfect Lamb Who is working to perfect us also. When we yield to God, we can see just how alive we really are.
May God in His mercy fashion us into those whose lives are pleasing to Him, and may we by faith let Him transform us from the ways of the world to the unblemished state of our Lord, the Lamb of God.
[via Brent Barnett]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Romans 12:1
In Exodus 12:5, God commanded each household in Israel to take an unblemished lamb and slaughter it on the Passover. The blood of the Lamb was to be put on the doorposts of their homes so that God would pass over them and not strike down their firstborn as He did to the Egyptians. This was a clear foreshadowing of Christ who would shed His innocent blood for us as the perfect Lamb of God.
Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:19 that we have not been bought with perishable things such as silver and gold “but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” Our holy standing before God come judgment day is going to be because we have received Christ as the One Who alone could forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). It is His blood which can set us free, and nothing else, because only He was the unblemished and spotless Lamb of God.
But the imagery of unblemished sacrifices doesn’t end here. Jesus refers to those who believe in Him as His sheep (John 10:27), and Paul says in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” There is a sense in which our lives are to resemble the unblemished lamb of the Passover and the holy, unblemished Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Just as Christ was holy and laid down His life, so, too, are we to grow in holiness and lay down our lives for others. We, the sheep of God, are to be holy sacrifices while we are yet living. This we can do each day as we present our bodies, hearts, and minds as clean and holy to God.
Paul speaks of dying daily (1 Corinthians 15:31, Galatians 2:20) and Jesus says that we must take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). Each day, we must offer ourselves to God spiritually, reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11). We are alive because Christ has given us new life. We are holy because Christ has made us righteous in His perfect blood. Yet we are also to be sacrifices, living daily in practical holiness as we let God accomplish His good and perfect will in and through us. Paul summarized this mindset in Galatians 2:20 when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 5:24 echoes this theme saying, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” A holy, living sacrifice lets Christ have His way and daily reckons himself dead to sin and free to let Christ live out His will in and through him. Being a sacrifice implies a willingness to die. We may never have to physically die for being a Christian, but daily we do need to die to the flesh as we remember by faith that we have been bought with the blood of the perfect Lamb Who is working to perfect us also. When we yield to God, we can see just how alive we really are.
May God in His mercy fashion us into those whose lives are pleasing to Him, and may we by faith let Him transform us from the ways of the world to the unblemished state of our Lord, the Lamb of God.
[via Brent Barnett]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What Kind of Church Are You ?
"But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent." - Revelation 1:12-14
What do you think Jesus Christ thinks of your church? You are probably thinking, "Well, I really like my church."
His standards are a little higher than ours. But you do want your church to be pleasing to the Lord, don't you? That's so much the focus of my passion when it comes to the church I pastor. But, of course we come quickly to the understanding that we can't easily change our church. We can't fix the things that we wish were different. The main thing you and I can focus on is us. That's why we need to keep asking, "What kind of church am I?"
What kind of church am I? That’s something I can work on. What if everyone prayed like me? What if everyone gave or served like me? What if everyone spoke like me? Would a congregation full of people just like me be everything God wants the church to be? What kind of church am I? Paul describes each of us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 as "a temple of the Holy Spirit," so the question is valid.
The way Jesus talked to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 gives us two huge questions we can ask ourselves when we want to check what kind of church we are. The first question is, Am I fired up about the truth? That is how Jesus evaluates His church. Am I passionate about knowing and obeying the truth?
The second question we must ask is, Have I fallen away from my first love? Christ holds this against us, not in terms of salvation, but in terms of our relationship with our Savior. Do you have a loveless orthodoxy? Do you believe right things but lack passion? Were there times when your life was more righteous. Were there times when your sacrifice for the kingdom of God was more obvious? Have you gotten too comfortable? Have you returned to selfish patterns? If so, now what should you do?
The words remember, repent, and re-engage summarize Christ's instruction (see Revelation 2:5). Jesus' loving words to the Ephesian believers is His Word to each of us.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
What do you think Jesus Christ thinks of your church? You are probably thinking, "Well, I really like my church."
His standards are a little higher than ours. But you do want your church to be pleasing to the Lord, don't you? That's so much the focus of my passion when it comes to the church I pastor. But, of course we come quickly to the understanding that we can't easily change our church. We can't fix the things that we wish were different. The main thing you and I can focus on is us. That's why we need to keep asking, "What kind of church am I?"
What kind of church am I? That’s something I can work on. What if everyone prayed like me? What if everyone gave or served like me? What if everyone spoke like me? Would a congregation full of people just like me be everything God wants the church to be? What kind of church am I? Paul describes each of us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 as "a temple of the Holy Spirit," so the question is valid.
The way Jesus talked to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 gives us two huge questions we can ask ourselves when we want to check what kind of church we are. The first question is, Am I fired up about the truth? That is how Jesus evaluates His church. Am I passionate about knowing and obeying the truth?
The second question we must ask is, Have I fallen away from my first love? Christ holds this against us, not in terms of salvation, but in terms of our relationship with our Savior. Do you have a loveless orthodoxy? Do you believe right things but lack passion? Were there times when your life was more righteous. Were there times when your sacrifice for the kingdom of God was more obvious? Have you gotten too comfortable? Have you returned to selfish patterns? If so, now what should you do?
The words remember, repent, and re-engage summarize Christ's instruction (see Revelation 2:5). Jesus' loving words to the Ephesian believers is His Word to each of us.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Monday, October 4, 2010
"There's an 'App' for That!"
1) Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2) And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3) But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 )neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5) For this you know,[a] that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6) Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7) Therefore do not be partakers with them. Eph. 5: 1-7
Remember when phones were for making phone calls? With the advent of the smart phone, what was once a way to talk to someone has become a storehouse of data. Add cell-phone applications (computer programs) to that, and you can read sports reports, play games, plan trips, find an apartment—or any of well over 100,000 other tasks available with an “app.”
That’s pretty amazing, but the “apps” for phones are nothing compared with the kind of “apps” Scripture gives us. The “applications” of the Bible are direct notes from God telling us how to apply the truth of His Word to all of life.
Take Philippians 2, for instance: The unity app (2:2), the humility app (2:3), the no-grumbling app (2:14), the shine-as-lights app (2:15). Or look at the apps of Ephesians 5: The imitate-God app (5:1), the walk-in-love app (5:2), the purity app (5:3), the tongue app (5:4). And the book of Proverbs? It’s teeming with applications.
You don’t have to wait for someone to offer these on the Internet. Just open the Bible and see the hundreds of ways to apply Scripture in your life. Got a question about the Christian life? Search the Bible. The answers are there, waiting to be discovered.
Cling to the Bible; this jewel and treasure Brings life eternal and saves fallen man; Surely its value no mortal can measure; Seek for its blessing, O soul, while you can. —Smith
The Bible has treasures of wisdom for you—read it and apply it
Remember when phones were for making phone calls? With the advent of the smart phone, what was once a way to talk to someone has become a storehouse of data. Add cell-phone applications (computer programs) to that, and you can read sports reports, play games, plan trips, find an apartment—or any of well over 100,000 other tasks available with an “app.”
That’s pretty amazing, but the “apps” for phones are nothing compared with the kind of “apps” Scripture gives us. The “applications” of the Bible are direct notes from God telling us how to apply the truth of His Word to all of life.
Take Philippians 2, for instance: The unity app (2:2), the humility app (2:3), the no-grumbling app (2:14), the shine-as-lights app (2:15). Or look at the apps of Ephesians 5: The imitate-God app (5:1), the walk-in-love app (5:2), the purity app (5:3), the tongue app (5:4). And the book of Proverbs? It’s teeming with applications.
You don’t have to wait for someone to offer these on the Internet. Just open the Bible and see the hundreds of ways to apply Scripture in your life. Got a question about the Christian life? Search the Bible. The answers are there, waiting to be discovered.
Cling to the Bible; this jewel and treasure Brings life eternal and saves fallen man; Surely its value no mortal can measure; Seek for its blessing, O soul, while you can. —Smith
The Bible has treasures of wisdom for you—read it and apply it
Friday, October 1, 2010
"Eyes like Fire"
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire." Revelation 1:12-14
Allow yourself to picture Jesus Christ - not to imagine speculatively, but to form a mental image based on God's Word. What visual characteristics fill your mind when you think about the Lord? Which Bible verses inform your snapshot? Someday you're going to stand before Him. Today's passage about the brilliance and the radiance of His appearance ought to severely Photoshop some of your ideas of Jesus.
I don't think there's anything much brighter than the sunlight reflecting off the snow on a winter morning. It's probably the closest we can get on earth to experiencing the kind of brightness that emanates from Christ. The word translated white in Revelation 1:14 is the same term used to describe Jesus' appearance in the transfiguration (see Matthew 17:2). Glaring whiteness is a picture of His purity. We have to cover our eyes. The countenance of the risen Jesus Christ is more than we can easily look at. He has never sinned. He has never had an impure thought or a mixed motive. "The thoughts of [our] hearts are only evil continually," the Bible says (Genesis 6:5). Jesus is 100 percent the opposite of deceitful. And John tells us we can see the difference.
"His eyes were like a flame of fire." Never think that the purity of Jesus Christ means naïveté. He knows. He is immeasurably strong. The word "fire" here conveys the reality of searing judgment. Jesus tells us about Himself in a look.
For an analogy, let's return for a moment to childhood. Do you remember how you could feel your mom looking at you? I could be sitting at the table messing with my brother and I would sense Mom's eyes on me like laser beams demanding my attention. One glance and I was skewered! So much so that when I was a teenager, I could feel those looks even when I was away from home doing something I shouldn't do. Do you know what I'm talking about? Now if our moms can strike that kind of response from us, open your heart and think for a moment about the gaze of Jesus Christ. The Scripture says that His eyes "are in every place" (Proverbs 15:3). Everywhere we go. Everything we do and say. Even the "intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12) are known to Him. That truth ought to convict us. Our picture of Jesus should humble us to the point of worship.
[via Walk in the Word]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Allow yourself to picture Jesus Christ - not to imagine speculatively, but to form a mental image based on God's Word. What visual characteristics fill your mind when you think about the Lord? Which Bible verses inform your snapshot? Someday you're going to stand before Him. Today's passage about the brilliance and the radiance of His appearance ought to severely Photoshop some of your ideas of Jesus.
I don't think there's anything much brighter than the sunlight reflecting off the snow on a winter morning. It's probably the closest we can get on earth to experiencing the kind of brightness that emanates from Christ. The word translated white in Revelation 1:14 is the same term used to describe Jesus' appearance in the transfiguration (see Matthew 17:2). Glaring whiteness is a picture of His purity. We have to cover our eyes. The countenance of the risen Jesus Christ is more than we can easily look at. He has never sinned. He has never had an impure thought or a mixed motive. "The thoughts of [our] hearts are only evil continually," the Bible says (Genesis 6:5). Jesus is 100 percent the opposite of deceitful. And John tells us we can see the difference.
"His eyes were like a flame of fire." Never think that the purity of Jesus Christ means naïveté. He knows. He is immeasurably strong. The word "fire" here conveys the reality of searing judgment. Jesus tells us about Himself in a look.
For an analogy, let's return for a moment to childhood. Do you remember how you could feel your mom looking at you? I could be sitting at the table messing with my brother and I would sense Mom's eyes on me like laser beams demanding my attention. One glance and I was skewered! So much so that when I was a teenager, I could feel those looks even when I was away from home doing something I shouldn't do. Do you know what I'm talking about? Now if our moms can strike that kind of response from us, open your heart and think for a moment about the gaze of Jesus Christ. The Scripture says that His eyes "are in every place" (Proverbs 15:3). Everywhere we go. Everything we do and say. Even the "intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12) are known to Him. That truth ought to convict us. Our picture of Jesus should humble us to the point of worship.
[via Walk in the Word]
Be Blessed!
Dawn
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