Mixed feelings

For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10 ESV)

Today I am very thankful for restored electricity at my house. But at the same time, I am a little sad. It is funny how an event such as an extended power outage can show you so much of what you are missing. Last night, we went back to computers, IPODs and television. Don't get me wrong, you also realize the things that are now necessities like a stove and dishwasher, but the family time we spent playing games and helping each other was priceless.

I pray on this day that those still without power will regain it soon. But I also pray that my family and I won't forget any time soon how much joy we shared together the last 3 days.

God bless!

Love thy neighbor

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10-12 ESV)

On the east coast, we experience the fury of Irene this weekend. It is Tuesday and the power is still out. But the light is still bright. What a wonderful reminder from God of what is important. Quality time without modern distractions, talking with friends and neighbors. Having purchased a generator last week, my wife and I have also gotten the opportunity to share with our neighbors. There is no greater feeling than sharing with others. Isn't that what life is all about? Isn't that what Jesus told us to do?

In times like this, we all should realize that the leaders of this world can really do nothing to help us. They may claim to be able to solve all of our problems,  but we know that God is so much greater than anyone on this earth. No government official can help you at this point. It is all about people helping others, sharing that ultimate love with others. It feels great. Not because we did anything, but that God has provided us the opportunity and the gifts to help our neighbors. Have you shared that love this week?

We have a generator that allows us to keep our well pump pumping and our cold stuff cold. I know there are a large number of people that do not have that. I pray that they will have a neighbor who will share the love of Christ with them, the ultimate gift of hope.

God bless you and especially all those impacted by the storm.

Will you turn your back with a poor attitude?

For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:32 ESV)

Have you ever done a good deed for someone and then told everyone what you did? What about church, do you go every week but think about what you have to do that day or in the coming week? Do you feel like you don't have to pay as close attention because you are already saved?

In the parable of the two sons it appears that Jesus is teaching about the importance of attitude in our daily lives. If we go to church with the wrong attitude, are we really getting what we need?

I must say that on many occasions I have gone to church angry, maybe at my wife, maybe upset with the kids. Those days I inevitably walk out with thoughts of God delivering that sermon directly to me. It is just what I needed to here to change my heart. But I must admit that at times my attitude is all wrong, not even willing to listen. In those cases I turn my back on the gift of love and the forgiveness granted through death on a cross. Thinking about that, it certainly must make God very sad when we turn our backs on His love. After all, He gave up His only son so that we may enjoy eternal life with Him.

The promise

But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me." And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." (Luke 8:46-48 ESV)

On his way to heal Jairus' daughter, Jesus is touched by a woman who has such strong faith in Him that she is instantly healed from an ailment lasting 12 years. She did not have to ask, but only have faith in His healing powers.

We, too must have that same faith. The faith in God's word and His love and forgiveness of our sins. Just like the woman, all we need to do is reach out to Jesus with our ailments. We are not guaranteed an instant healing, but instead an everlasting life with Him in heaven.

Why wouldn't we if Jesus did?

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. (Mark 14:35-39 ESV)

When we looked up to heaven and ask God why, we should turn to this passage from the Gospel.  For what better comfort to us then to see how God's plan is best for all. Can you imagine where we would be had God removed the cup? No Savior to take our sins away. No eternal life with Him.

With Jesus'  words to Simon, He is talking to us all. He tells us of the weakness of our earthly bodies to be able to resist the temptations of this world. He instructs us to pray for our spirits to be continually strengthened so that we may fend off sin.

With the amount of temptations that exist in our world, we should be in constant prayer, with every corner we turn and every challenge we face.

Yiur prayer is a testament to your faith

Pray then like this:
"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
(Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)

Jesus is very clear in His instructions on how to pray. In fact, as evidenced by the verses above from Matthew, He told us exactly what to pray.

God does not need to hear extravagant prayers, ones that sound like they have been professionally written. God knows what is in our hearts and wants us to constantly ask for His help and guidance. He seeks to hear us acknowledge His grace, love and divine knowledge in what is best for us. It is not always what we want to hear but asking God to provide you with what you need, and not what you want is proof of your faith  in Him.

Are you sharing?

She said to her mistress, "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." (2 Kings 5:3 ESV)

Do you know when you are given an opportunity to share God's love? So many times when presented with other people's challenges, we immediately gravitate to trying to solve or fix their problems with human means. But these are the opportunities God is giving us to share His love, to freely speak of our faith so others will see.

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26 ESV)

Read the above passage over and over until it is embedded in your memory, for to remember this gives you the strength and knowledge for every challenge, ailment, and witnessing opportunity. Remember and He will get you through.

People constantly turn to things of this world to try to solve their problems, drugs, psychics, doctors. Now I am not trying to say we shouldn't utilize doctors and drugs prescribed, but instead saying to pray for guidance and for God's will to be done. He works Will through these things in some cases, but He also gives us strength to endure all things, good and bad.

Who needs the Law when we have the Gospel? We do.

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. ...because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.'" And they brought back word to the king. (2 Kings 22:11, 19-20 ESV)

Josiah was one of few kings in the Old Testament who did good in the eyes of the Lord. However, when he heard the Book of the Law contained on the scrolls found while repairing the house of the Lord, he was distraught about his sins and the sins of all the people. But God sent him the message of grace through the prophetess Huldah.

Just as Josiah had to be shown his sins in order to repent, so must we be shown our sins. If we do not see the sin in our deeds, the message of God's grace means nothing. Likewise, without seeing our wrong, we cannot understand the magnitude of God's grace. It is impossible to have Law without Gospel and vice versa. That is the issue with some of today's modern churches. They do not provide the whole message. people are always uncomfortable when their sins are pointed out. Just look at a child that is caught doing something wrong. They squirm and won't look you in the eye. But what will they become if we don't point out their bad behavior? How will they know right from wrong? Look at today's society and you can start to see the picture.

Going to church on Sunday allows us to have our sins exposed, to feel ashamed of what we have done. But it also shows us God's grace and forgiveness and allows us to give those sins to Jesus who accepted to bear them for us on the cross so that we may be holy in the eyes of God.

Do you see how we need Law and Gospel.  Without both, we miss the full impact of God's love for us.

Random thought

thank God it's Friday.  How many times do you hear that? But what about the other days of the week? What about Sunday,  the day of rest granted to us? Let this be a lesson. We most often thank God for only those things that we feel pleasure in, yet forget to thank Him for everything else that He gives us. This includes the good things and the bad (in our minds) as God always gives us what we need.

Part of God's Plan

Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." (Genesis 2:18 ESV)

When it comes to marriage, I have really thought about what couples should think about when they may be going through a tough time. Often when going to a wedding, guests are asked to share advice for a successful marriage with the newly married couple.

The key is really to make sure that the person you marry is the one God has chosen for you. But how do you know who that is?  In my case, I was looking in all the wrong places. But when God saw that my heart was ready, He brought her into my life. And now there isn't a day that goes by (even those when we may struggle, argue, or just disagree)  that I don't thank God for His gift to me.

Recently, I have realized the important of the passage from Genesis above. My wife is my complement, my helper. It is funny how comments are always made about the most important words a husband can learn are "yes dear ". But stop and think. Do not just say the words to pacify, but take the time to listen to your wife. After all, God created her for you as your helper. Open your heart and mind and let her help you. You will be amazed at what you learn and how much more enriched your life together becomes.

Do not judge, ask for Thy will to be done

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV)

Do you remember your mom telling you not to judge a book by it's cover? I certainly do, but did it really sink in? I like to think at some level, but I know based on today's passage that it is not the case. Man cannot judge by what is inside because we really can't see what is inside someone else's heart.

But that is what God sees. He looks beyond the physical and into our hearts. And just as He did with David, He will provide what we need to succeed provided it is in His plan. We must always remember that in prayer it is His will we are asking for, not our will. For He knows what is best for us. If we reject that will, we are rejecting His love and grace. It is like a teenager that thinks mom and dad don't know anything. We all go through these periods. The important thing is to learn and grow from these diversions. We must learn that our way is not best, but His is always best.

How do we learn? Stay in the Word and pray early and often. Pray for God to reveal His plan for you in His time.

Will you answer His call?

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord."... (1 Samuel 1:27-28 ESV)

When you look around your house, at your kids, at your bank statement, what is it that you think?  Do you say to yourself "look at what I have done"? Or do you take a moment to thank God for what you have? The interesting thing is that it seems the more we have, the more likely that we will do the former.

When my family went to Mexico a couple of years ago, we stayed in a resort near Cancun. It was beautiful, lots of amenities, plenty of food and drink, all you could want. We had decided before we went that we would rent a van and drive out to some of the ancient ruins. We had talked to some friends that pointed us to a small authentic Mexican town where we could experience the real Mexico, not just the tourist areas. That was really neat, but what we did and saw next was very special. 

My wife had read about another area of ruins, a pyramid that had not been restored. It was a little ways off, through some of the poorest areas I have ever seen. When we got to the entrance, it had just closed. But that was okay, for as we made our way back, we drove through those same towns. Only this time we slowed down and noticed how happy the children were as they played with their friends. The moms were out talking, similar (or maybe not depending on your neighborhood) to what you would see here in the states.

You see, these people had not been told that they were poor, and I believe in their minds they saw themselves as rich in blessings. This is a lesson for us all. God gives us everything we have, but the most important thing does not come from a store or cannot be bought with money. It is His love that he asks us to share with others.

Will you do your part, as Hannah did when she "lent " her son to the Lord?

God takes care of us all, just ask

The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. (Exodus 2:2-3 ESV)

Was this the first case of a woman giving up her child for adoption? It is not adoption as we know it today, but you can think of it the same. Moses' mother loved him, but knew that in order for him to have life she needed to let him go. Many women face this difficult decision today. Some before birth, others later. Some times they give their child up permanently, other times, it is just for a period of time.

Either way,  these women should be commended for doing what is right for the children. It is not easy, but often necessary for the health and safety of both mother and child.

One thing is certain,  God is always there to listen to you as you fight through these situations.  He will never abandon you, although there are times when you may think He has. Be content knowing that your situation is part of God's greater plan. You are not abandoning the child, it is just part of God's greater plan.

God bless you.

Prayer to help your brothers and sisters

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:15-21 ESV)

In this passage we hear about how we are to share the love of Christ.  I have written many times of how our actions and our words should reflect the love of Jesus. But we know that our actions and words are not enough, for it is not us that bring others to faith, but the Holy Spirit through the Word. We can only show the love of Jesus, show others how much we love being saved.

So we should be praying for those we want to share with. Pray that they too will experience the love of Christ.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will reach out, grab hold of them, and show them the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior. So if you are frustrated because you don't feel that your efforts are helping a friend come to know Jesus, remember that you must pray for the Holy Spirit to touch that person. In so many things we forget that we cannot do it without Him.  We must remember that "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13 ESV) We must remember this includes bringing our non Christian friends and colleagues to Christ.

May God bless your weekend.

A calling

"Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. (Numbers 3:6 ESV)

It is clear what God wanted Moses to do, bring the Levites to minister to Aaron. It is not always clear what God is calling us to do. Am I to serve Him in my current role, glorifying His name for all to see. Am I being called to a greater role in expanding the Kingdom?

What I do know is that when the time is right, it will be revealed clearly,  as it was clear to Moses. My prayer is for those around me,  those impacted by God's role for me. It is easy to follow when it is you being called.  But to be the support for that person can be very scary. When you are not hearing the call it truly tests your faith. But just as God sent an angel to Joseph,  I am sure He will make clear to the supporters so they may better understand.

Will you be like Joseph?

So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. (Genesis 45:4-5 ESV)

Can you look past the present and know that God has a plan for you that may not make sense right now? Have you ever looked to the sky and asked "why God? "

Joseph surely was tested by everything that happened to him to do exactly that, yet he never did. He did not hold a grudge against his brothers, but instead had faith that God would take care of him. God did more than that. He blessed Joseph with a leadership role in order to help his family when they were in need.

Have you been placed in a leadership role? Why do you think that is? Maybe God is preparing your heart for something much bigger. Will you be ready? If you have faith, you are.

God's unending love

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. (Psalm 146:8-9 ESV)

To continue on a theme,  God loves us and does everything to protect us. But do not take that to mean you can walk down the most dangerous road in the city.  No, God does everything for us to protect our spot in Heaven. If you don't believe me, think about the cross.

As a parent, we do whatever we can to protect our kids. As they mature, we allow them to make more of their own decisions, training them on the consequences, good and bad, of those decisions. We want to ensure their success in their adult lives. God does the same, looking to ensure that we successfully make it to live eternally with Him in Heaven. But unlike our kids, where they can be successful based on their own actions after a certain age, we can never do enough to gain entry into eternal life. We must accept God's gift to us as the only way.

God bless you and please pray that my travels back home today are safe.

Do you see what God wants you to do next?

But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Genesis 39:21 ESV)

The Lord is always with us. When put into a situation where you feel trapped, look around for the opportunity that God has placed in front of you.  What does he want you to do? He is always with you and wants you to share His gift with others.  How will you do that?

When put into a hostile situation, does God want you to turn around and run? No, He placed you there for a reason. Open your eyes and your heart and be willing to answer the call.

On a business trip and got to visit with our former Pastor. What a joy it was to catch up and get a tour of his new church and home. We miss him but we know God put him here for His will to be done.  He always knows where we need to be.

Some thoughts on blessings

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. (Genesis 37:23-24 ESV)

So growing up I used to get mad because my older brothers would steal candy from my Easter basket. I guess I was lucky that I wasn't thrown into a pit and left to die. Although there was the incident when my brother ran over me with my sister's bike, but he wasn't trying to kill me, just get my dollar.

It is amazing how sin can drive our minds to some really bad actions. I sometimes wonder how God could let sin into the world. But then I stop and remember that God's plan is ever knowing and who are we to ask why? If we ask about why sin, we also have to ask why all the blessings? And in sitting here in the airport,  I have to think of all those blessings that we don't necessarily think of. The raw materials that allow for the building of airplanes, the intelligence given us to create fuels and design structures and transportation. It truly is amazing when you think about it.

So don't think about the bad, think about the good. And of course remember the ultimate gift, life eternal with Him.

God bless as you start your week.

Are you struggling to understand?

Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (Genesis 32:26 ESV)

The verse I chose today is from the account of Jacob wrestling with God. I read through this several times looking for the message of how to apply to our lives. We struggle with the concept of being saved by grace alone. As humans, we feel that we must control our own destiny. We must do good to gain God's favor, just like Jacob wrestled with God, proving what he could do.

But we could never possibly do enough to gain God's approval. For that it took a Savior to die a brutal death on the cross. God created us, sent His Son to die for us so that we may share his unconditional love with others. So that we will do good works in His name, not in our name. Nothing we can do will get us to heaven, that gift has already been provided. That does not mean we should go on in our sinful ways, but instead work to share that same gift with others.

Are you wrestling with God? Are you trying to figure out what you can do to win his favor? Are you trying to make deals with Him? If you are, stop and accept His forgiveness, accept that this life will be a constant struggle and move to share the good news. Christ died for us all to allow us to enter His Father's kingdom.

God bless this day of rest.

Steadfast Love

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:1 ESV)

The first verse of Psalm 118 says it all. Nothing on this earth can defeat us. The Lord will always keep us safe if we have faith and ask in His Son's name.

His love is never ending, we must never forget that. No matter what trials we face, He knows what is good for us.

Watch for the hand of God

Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, "Let me not look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. (Genesis 21:16-17 ESV)

When you hear some one cry, what is your first thought? What about the word shelter when used to in terms of someone that has no where to live? We tend to think of both of these in negative terms. Crying can be a sign of sadness, there are tears of joy. But most often crying is a call of need, like a baby cries when it is hungry, tired or needs a diaper. We cry out to God in times of dispair. 

When you se someone crying, what a great opportunity to show the love of Christ through your next action.

God promises daily bread and shelter and clothing, everything we need. However, he doesn't say it will be gourmet meals, designer clothing or a big house with a pool. No, he promises to provide what we need. For some reason, going to a shelter, say for battered women, is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness. In reality, it is a sign of strength, faith in God's Word and promise.

We want to think that we can fix things on our own, that we are responsible so we need to get out of it with our own methods. I am not saying we aren't responsible for our actions,  but God loves and forgives us and is always willing to provide what we need. We just need to be humble, admit our need and ask. Just like Hagar in our Bible passage above. She cried out for help, unable to even look at her son as he was certain to die. What if when she opened her eyes, she would have refused to accept God's gift of the well? What if she said, no Lord, I can do it on my own? Seems silly, right? To reject the help when offered. When faced with a difficult situation, look for God's outreached hand, grab it, and let Him pull you to safety.

God bless you.

Thy will be done

saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." (Luke 22:42 ESV)

I find that I must constantly remind myself of this passage from Luke. Jesus, facing death on the cross, prays to His Father to spare Him, but then says the words above.

How many times do we face situations where we can see where God is leading us yet we feel that it is not the right path. We plead and ask for a different outcome. But we must always remember thet only He knows what is best for us. Just like a parent knows what is best for their child, we are God's children and must obey His commands.

The next time your child doesn't obey, reflect on the example you are setting. Are you obeying your Father?

God bless you on this Thursday.

The Covenant

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." (Genesis 9:12-16 ESV)

In my morning devotion I read through this passage and was amazed at what I read. I had never gotten it before in all the times I have either read or heard it. The rainbow is a sign of God's covenant between Him and all the people of the earth. A covenant that He will never flood the earth again, a promise to His creation.

But take a look at what I have emphasized in the passage. Notice the word I in both lines. Not only is this a reminder to us, but God says it will remind Him of His promise to us. As a parent I understand.  I know on many occasions either my wife or I will say "it's a good thing you are so cute ". I am sure you have been there. So many times you get upset with your children, but when you look at them you see God's love and you can forgive.

That all makes more sense now. As sinful as we are, God still loves us and created signs that He would recognize to ensure He keeps His covenant with us. similarly we wear wedding bands to remind us of our covenant to our spouse. We will all be better off when we go back and remember what got us here. God breathed life into us, our mothers gave birth to us, our parents raised us, we fell in love with our spouses, we decided to have children.

Think about these things when things get rough, when we are down on our luck. Always remember God's promise.

I am having technical difficulties

I apologize but I am having technical difficulties with my blogging app. I have now lost 2 days of postings upon publishing.