The Truth Project. I've mentioned it here before. A video series from Focus on the Family done incredibly well. Looking into the face of God. An amazing journey that has changed how I look at so many of my relationships and life in general.
We are not here on earth for our own glorification, but instead for God's. Unfortunately our sinful nature takes us down the path of the former when we should be on the path of the latter. Last night we watched Lesson 8 which showed us how many times the Bible references being "one". God says we are all equal, it is undeniable. Yet, why is it that there is so much disproportion here on earth? Because our "one" is in relation to God, not what we have here on earth. I may have all the power in the world, but when I enter into eternity, I will be one of the many heirs to the Kingdom of God.
God Bless.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Are you wearing your baptism?
You get a great gift, say a nice new shirt. It is the nicest shirt you have ever seen. You want to wear it all the time. Every time it goes through the wash and then is placed in your closet you pick it to wear. Maybe the gift is a new electronic gadget. You use it all the time, maybe it even makes your life easier.
With these gifts, eventually the shirt will wear out, or you will outgrow it.With electronic gadgets, they are usually obsolete in a short period of time. How many of us have a phone or PDA that is older than 3 years old. And how long do they stay relevant?
What about God's gift of grace? We receive it at baptism. Do you rush to put it on every morning? Do you want to show your friends? Do you want to share it with your friends? It is truly a gift that never wears out, never gets obsolete (as a matter of fact as we get older it becomes more and more relevant yet we tend to push it aside). Pray that God will continue to send His Holy Spirit down to you and keep you wearing your baptism so that all may see the light of God through you.
As the weather gets brisk this time of year, and you grab for your jacket, ask yourself "do I have my baptism on?"
I have a routine as I go off to work each morning. I feel around before walking out the door, "do I have my badge, my keys, my wallet, my phone?" But what about assuring that I am wearing the most precious gift ever given to me, God's love and grace, salvation, eternal life?
I pray that you too will remember to check to see if you are wearing your baptism before you walk out the door each day. Shine the light of Jesus as you go about your daily activities. Share the wonderful gift. It never runs out.
God Bless and be safe!
With these gifts, eventually the shirt will wear out, or you will outgrow it.With electronic gadgets, they are usually obsolete in a short period of time. How many of us have a phone or PDA that is older than 3 years old. And how long do they stay relevant?
What about God's gift of grace? We receive it at baptism. Do you rush to put it on every morning? Do you want to show your friends? Do you want to share it with your friends? It is truly a gift that never wears out, never gets obsolete (as a matter of fact as we get older it becomes more and more relevant yet we tend to push it aside). Pray that God will continue to send His Holy Spirit down to you and keep you wearing your baptism so that all may see the light of God through you.
As the weather gets brisk this time of year, and you grab for your jacket, ask yourself "do I have my baptism on?"
I have a routine as I go off to work each morning. I feel around before walking out the door, "do I have my badge, my keys, my wallet, my phone?" But what about assuring that I am wearing the most precious gift ever given to me, God's love and grace, salvation, eternal life?
I pray that you too will remember to check to see if you are wearing your baptism before you walk out the door each day. Shine the light of Jesus as you go about your daily activities. Share the wonderful gift. It never runs out.
God Bless and be safe!
Monday, October 25, 2010
"But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him."
Genesis 4:15
From the beginning God makes it clear that revenge should not be part of our repertoire. or He speaks and says that for those that inflict revenge, they shall suffer. While not outright saying it, God is telling all people that we are all sinners, and all need forgiveness.
God Bless your week.
Genesis 4:15
From the beginning God makes it clear that revenge should not be part of our repertoire. or He speaks and says that for those that inflict revenge, they shall suffer. While not outright saying it, God is telling all people that we are all sinners, and all need forgiveness.
God Bless your week.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tough Love
"Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand."
Psalm 73:23
In everything we do, we should remember that God is right there with us, guiding us every step of the way...if we let Him.
There are tough things we must do in life. Discipline a child, let an employee go, let a loved one pass on to meet Jesus. But God assures us that if we pray constantly for His guiding hand, He will be right there with us. What a comfort that is to know that when we call on Him for support, He will be there.
There are surely tough actions I need to take. But I pray that God's will be done. In that, I have assurance that those tough actions are what is best for me, for the other person, and for others. We must always remember to pray for His will to be done, not our will to be done.
God Bless!
you hold me by my right hand."
Psalm 73:23
In everything we do, we should remember that God is right there with us, guiding us every step of the way...if we let Him.
There are tough things we must do in life. Discipline a child, let an employee go, let a loved one pass on to meet Jesus. But God assures us that if we pray constantly for His guiding hand, He will be right there with us. What a comfort that is to know that when we call on Him for support, He will be there.
There are surely tough actions I need to take. But I pray that God's will be done. In that, I have assurance that those tough actions are what is best for me, for the other person, and for others. We must always remember to pray for His will to be done, not our will to be done.
God Bless!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Don't stray
Those of you that are close to me know that I made the decision to go back into the corporate world at the end of the summer. I felt God calling me to share my faith with others, maybe Christian, maybe not. I believe in God's plan for me. The time I spent earlier this year strengthening my releationship with the Lord was all part of God's plan. Things fell into place. One thing that I committed myself to when making the decision to go back into the corporate world was to keep up with my study of the Bible and my prayer commitments.
It is funny how the devil sees the opportunities in those that strengthen their faith. I guess he figures he already has a hold on those that do not. I remember or pastor telling our son's confirmation class how the devil was poised and waiting for them to confirm their faith so he could go after them.
Well I must admit, the devil tried to grab hold of me over the last few weeks. He put thoughts in my head about how much more important it is to get to work early vs. writing my blog or even keeping up with my daily devotions. At first it was missing a day here and there. Then I missed almost an entire week. Now granted I did some traveling that week, but that is no excuse.
So, what is my message today? Remember to stay strong in your commitment to Christ. How do we accomplish this? Well, most importantly, we have to continue to pray and talk to God. Tell Him how much we appreciate the gifts He has given to us. Ask Him for help in fighting off the devil. Ask him to continue to send the Holy Spirit down upon you to ensure you remain strong in faith.
Happy Wednesday. God Bless You!
It is funny how the devil sees the opportunities in those that strengthen their faith. I guess he figures he already has a hold on those that do not. I remember or pastor telling our son's confirmation class how the devil was poised and waiting for them to confirm their faith so he could go after them.
Well I must admit, the devil tried to grab hold of me over the last few weeks. He put thoughts in my head about how much more important it is to get to work early vs. writing my blog or even keeping up with my daily devotions. At first it was missing a day here and there. Then I missed almost an entire week. Now granted I did some traveling that week, but that is no excuse.
So, what is my message today? Remember to stay strong in your commitment to Christ. How do we accomplish this? Well, most importantly, we have to continue to pray and talk to God. Tell Him how much we appreciate the gifts He has given to us. Ask Him for help in fighting off the devil. Ask him to continue to send the Holy Spirit down upon you to ensure you remain strong in faith.
Happy Wednesday. God Bless You!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Could I be like Job?
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."
Job 1:20-22
This passage is impressive when taken in context with the beginning of the chapter. Job had everything, God blessed him and Job feared and loved God.
But God let Satan take it all away to prove that Job was a good man and that he would not turn away from God even if all his possessions were taken away. Satan took everything away. All his animals, possessions and his family. Yet Job still praised God and did not ask why this had happened to him.
How many of us would do the same? We ask God now why a single instance of grief occurs. Can you even imagine the faith this man had? I sometimes look at the third world countries and the famine and death that they experience and see a glimpse of Job. They continue to pray, continue to praise God and continue to live.
I pray that we all can have the faith of Job.
God Bless!
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."
Job 1:20-22
This passage is impressive when taken in context with the beginning of the chapter. Job had everything, God blessed him and Job feared and loved God.
But God let Satan take it all away to prove that Job was a good man and that he would not turn away from God even if all his possessions were taken away. Satan took everything away. All his animals, possessions and his family. Yet Job still praised God and did not ask why this had happened to him.
How many of us would do the same? We ask God now why a single instance of grief occurs. Can you even imagine the faith this man had? I sometimes look at the third world countries and the famine and death that they experience and see a glimpse of Job. They continue to pray, continue to praise God and continue to live.
I pray that we all can have the faith of Job.
God Bless!
Monday, October 18, 2010
What are we glorifying?
Jack#%& 3D tops the box office. We have multiple flavors of Law & Order and CSI. Every night you can find TV shows that seem to glorify crime and crime fighting. Then there are the medical shows, all seeming to imply that if your spouse is in that field, they are going to systematically have affairs with every member of their staff.
What are we teaching our younger generations? It is all okay. It is all normal.
I have a problem with this. We spend one day a week at most honoring and glorifying God, and the other six glorifying the devil.
Pray that this trend reverses.
What are we teaching our younger generations? It is all okay. It is all normal.
I have a problem with this. We spend one day a week at most honoring and glorifying God, and the other six glorifying the devil.
Pray that this trend reverses.
Monday, October 11, 2010
We should always ask
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
James 1:5
I am inspired by this verse in the Book of James. One sentence provides a tremendous amount of information about who God is and what He provides.
If we lack wisdom (and who can say they know everything), God tells us to ask Him.
He gives generously to us. To many times we feel that we must do everything in order to receive our reward. God has already given us the reward of eternal life with Him. And He gives it to us even though we are undeserving. How many times have you given something to someone after they were disrespectful, hurtful or just plain bad? Yet, we sin each and every day and God continues to give generously to us. I can surely say that if I would have had to be good to be blessed with such a wonderful wife and four great kids, I'd still be single with no children.
God sees us through His Son, and therefore sees us as holy, without fault.
Say a prayer of thanksgiving today. Tell God how much you appreciate the wonderful blessings He has provided and continues to provide.
God Bless.
James 1:5
I am inspired by this verse in the Book of James. One sentence provides a tremendous amount of information about who God is and what He provides.
If we lack wisdom (and who can say they know everything), God tells us to ask Him.
He gives generously to us. To many times we feel that we must do everything in order to receive our reward. God has already given us the reward of eternal life with Him. And He gives it to us even though we are undeserving. How many times have you given something to someone after they were disrespectful, hurtful or just plain bad? Yet, we sin each and every day and God continues to give generously to us. I can surely say that if I would have had to be good to be blessed with such a wonderful wife and four great kids, I'd still be single with no children.
God sees us through His Son, and therefore sees us as holy, without fault.
Say a prayer of thanksgiving today. Tell God how much you appreciate the wonderful blessings He has provided and continues to provide.
God Bless.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Prayers not answered? Think again.
We are instructed to pray continually, pray in Jesus' name, pray for our enemies. We do this yet still feel at times that our prayers go unheard. We know that God is listening. He tells us throughout His Word that this is the case. Yet why is He not answering my prayer?
We are also told that God does answer all of our prayers if we ask through Jesus. So what is the deal when it seems that our prayer is not answered?
The question you should ask is whether you are ready for the answer? Are you ready for God's will to be done? Sometimes, often it seems, God's answer is not now, or wait. It is hard for us to comprehend because we only know what is now. God knows His plan for each of us. We need to keep this in mind and pray for His will to be done.
God Bless You.
We are also told that God does answer all of our prayers if we ask through Jesus. So what is the deal when it seems that our prayer is not answered?
The question you should ask is whether you are ready for the answer? Are you ready for God's will to be done? Sometimes, often it seems, God's answer is not now, or wait. It is hard for us to comprehend because we only know what is now. God knows His plan for each of us. We need to keep this in mind and pray for His will to be done.
God Bless You.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Post flood
So we live in an area that was in a swath that received a little over 10 inches of rain Wednesday night through Friday morning. Except for some water in the basement (thanks to God for the water taking a path around our valuables) we escaped unscathed. Then I heard about Wilmington, NC getting over 22 inches of rain from the same storm and thought to myself how lucky we were. I am pretty sure 22 inches in the same time-frame would have had a different outcome in my basement.
As I thought about those poor people down there and the feeling of helplessness I felt, I then read the comment to my Thursday post from Mark. How horrible it must have been for Noah to leave so many other souls helpless, left behind to perish in the great flood. I then thought about Sully and his heroics on the Hudson, staying behind and making sure everyone else was out of the plane before himself getting out. While we are sinful by nature, there is definitely something inherent in most of us that makes us want to help others. What is that something? It is the love of God. It is the gift from God as our creator. It is what gives me hope every day. Show God's mercy as you have been instructed to do.
Will you reach out and help someone today? I pray that you will.
God Bless.
As I thought about those poor people down there and the feeling of helplessness I felt, I then read the comment to my Thursday post from Mark. How horrible it must have been for Noah to leave so many other souls helpless, left behind to perish in the great flood. I then thought about Sully and his heroics on the Hudson, staying behind and making sure everyone else was out of the plane before himself getting out. While we are sinful by nature, there is definitely something inherent in most of us that makes us want to help others. What is that something? It is the love of God. It is the gift from God as our creator. It is what gives me hope every day. Show God's mercy as you have been instructed to do.
Will you reach out and help someone today? I pray that you will.
God Bless.
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