2 Kings 6:16-17
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
What do you think of when you hear the words "news media?" Do you immediately criticize the press for publicizing all the negative stories...all the evil things of the world? I know it can seem like that and sometimes you have to get your mind on something else. It's hard to accept when we see people getting away with things they shouldn't be doing, for example. Do you think evil is invading the world?
It can be difficult to grasp our understanding of the world and why it is the way it is. That's why we have the Almighty God. It can be difficult to trust God and his ways for that matter. God's goodness still surrounds us even when things look bleak in the world.
One question: What would you do if you saw the headline of "God sightings" in the news? Would that make you want to watch it more? Think about it.
When I read verse 17, I immediately thought of the song "Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord." Watch the video below.
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Leave It Behind.
Proverbs 15:23
23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!
The Devil likes to provide us with discouragement. He likes to put us down and disappoint us. However, the good news is that as a follower of Christ, you can be filled with encouragement. Christ never lets you down. We also have the free will to throw an encouraging word or two at someone going through a rough time or change, such as someone dealing with death, someone feeling homesick since they moved far away from what he or she considers to be home, and to the abandoned and forgotten people, such as the sick, who can just lie in bed feeling meaningless sometimes until they die. None of that has to happen with the help of you.
This power, this opportunity has been kindly given to us. We can brighten and inspire someone's day. I challenge you to do that today. After all, it doesn't take TIME, just EXECUTION. Don't let Satan hold you back...don't let anything hold you back!
"Don't do nothing because you can't do everything. Do something. Anything." ~Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!
The Devil likes to provide us with discouragement. He likes to put us down and disappoint us. However, the good news is that as a follower of Christ, you can be filled with encouragement. Christ never lets you down. We also have the free will to throw an encouraging word or two at someone going through a rough time or change, such as someone dealing with death, someone feeling homesick since they moved far away from what he or she considers to be home, and to the abandoned and forgotten people, such as the sick, who can just lie in bed feeling meaningless sometimes until they die. None of that has to happen with the help of you.
This power, this opportunity has been kindly given to us. We can brighten and inspire someone's day. I challenge you to do that today. After all, it doesn't take TIME, just EXECUTION. Don't let Satan hold you back...don't let anything hold you back!
"Don't do nothing because you can't do everything. Do something. Anything." ~Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Speak with Encouragement.
Galatians 6:9
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
As I've been mentioning, we have seen a transition in power this month in the United States as Barack Obama has become president. It's a season of new hope. Still, as we're waiting we shouldn't grow impatient, nor should be ignore the rules. We also shouldn't expect change right away, no matter what the campaign slogan is. This can be discouraging, but let's think on an encouraging note; there's a new mind making decisions in the White House following the will of God.
Don't tire yourself over every evil thing that happens. As long as God is in the picture, every evil thing shall be at rest.
Growth and often unity will result from discouragement. When it appears that something has bit the dust, God emerges from the dust to provide hope. Let this be your source of happiness today!
"The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come." ~James Whitcomb Riley
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
As I've been mentioning, we have seen a transition in power this month in the United States as Barack Obama has become president. It's a season of new hope. Still, as we're waiting we shouldn't grow impatient, nor should be ignore the rules. We also shouldn't expect change right away, no matter what the campaign slogan is. This can be discouraging, but let's think on an encouraging note; there's a new mind making decisions in the White House following the will of God.
Don't tire yourself over every evil thing that happens. As long as God is in the picture, every evil thing shall be at rest.
Growth and often unity will result from discouragement. When it appears that something has bit the dust, God emerges from the dust to provide hope. Let this be your source of happiness today!
"The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come." ~James Whitcomb Riley
The Unwelcome Visitor: Discouragement.
Joshua 1:1-9
1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
So Christmas has been long gone for a month now. Do you know what typically follows the holiday season? Depression, hurt, etc. A lot of it is probably a direct result from having to pay off the sky high holiday debt. Nowadays as you know, Christmas is such a commercial holiday. We often leave God on the backburner as we go shopping. Then, we wind up in a whirlwind of trouble and distant from God, until we really need him.
Late January is statistically the most depressing time of year. If you find this true in your life, read about it in the Bible. The Bible is meant to coach you through things as you need it. While as a Christian the Bible should be read regularly, you can customize your reading by choosing topics, which a lot of times is what I do on here. (There is usually a topical index that provides scripture on virtually any topic that you can think of. If not, go to biblegateway.com).
Is discouragement dwelling in you right now?
I pray that the Word of God will lift your spirits...to erase at least some of your despair. Maybe you're not upset about your holiday spendings, maybe it's just the poor economic situation. This turmoil has happened before, so we will get through it. I promise. In the meantime, seek help from God. Keep a firm relationship with him so that discouragement doesn't have such an impact.
“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'” ~Billy Graham
1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
So Christmas has been long gone for a month now. Do you know what typically follows the holiday season? Depression, hurt, etc. A lot of it is probably a direct result from having to pay off the sky high holiday debt. Nowadays as you know, Christmas is such a commercial holiday. We often leave God on the backburner as we go shopping. Then, we wind up in a whirlwind of trouble and distant from God, until we really need him.
Late January is statistically the most depressing time of year. If you find this true in your life, read about it in the Bible. The Bible is meant to coach you through things as you need it. While as a Christian the Bible should be read regularly, you can customize your reading by choosing topics, which a lot of times is what I do on here. (There is usually a topical index that provides scripture on virtually any topic that you can think of. If not, go to biblegateway.com).
Is discouragement dwelling in you right now?
I pray that the Word of God will lift your spirits...to erase at least some of your despair. Maybe you're not upset about your holiday spendings, maybe it's just the poor economic situation. This turmoil has happened before, so we will get through it. I promise. In the meantime, seek help from God. Keep a firm relationship with him so that discouragement doesn't have such an impact.
“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'” ~Billy Graham
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Put All Arguments Aside.
Romans 12:18-21
18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
*Refer to August 20 devotion*
How do you go about making peace with others? It can be pretty simple. Try as best you can to set any quarrel aside. It may be a fight with the neighbor or your best friend, in any case, take a deep breath and don't worry about it. How does fighting with someone impact your relationship with God? Here's an excerpt from the song "I Want To Know You:"
pressing onward
pushing every hindrance aside
out of my way
'cause i want to know you more
(see more in video at the end of post)
The Lord says he will take care of the situation if necessary. God wants you to know him. If all else fails...pray!!!
What is a typical day like for you? Think of a rough schedule of your day in your head. I'm guessing it's jammed pack. Do you really have time for conflict and nonsense? Don't you think it would be better to instead show an act or two of benevolence toward your enemies. Not the "suck up" type, just generosity and compassion that portrays what Christ would do. You might have trouble finding time to do it, but it is much better to go out of your way for someone using your own time, than to waste time and bicker with someone. To conclude, for it's not the disagreements that people want to remember, but the good deeds.
"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice." ~Baruch Spinoza
"All works of love are works of peace." ~Mother Theresa
Here's the song ("I Want To Know You") that I alluded to above:
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
*Refer to August 20 devotion*
How do you go about making peace with others? It can be pretty simple. Try as best you can to set any quarrel aside. It may be a fight with the neighbor or your best friend, in any case, take a deep breath and don't worry about it. How does fighting with someone impact your relationship with God? Here's an excerpt from the song "I Want To Know You:"
pressing onward
pushing every hindrance aside
out of my way
'cause i want to know you more
(see more in video at the end of post)
The Lord says he will take care of the situation if necessary. God wants you to know him. If all else fails...pray!!!
What is a typical day like for you? Think of a rough schedule of your day in your head. I'm guessing it's jammed pack. Do you really have time for conflict and nonsense? Don't you think it would be better to instead show an act or two of benevolence toward your enemies. Not the "suck up" type, just generosity and compassion that portrays what Christ would do. You might have trouble finding time to do it, but it is much better to go out of your way for someone using your own time, than to waste time and bicker with someone. To conclude, for it's not the disagreements that people want to remember, but the good deeds.
"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice." ~Baruch Spinoza
"All works of love are works of peace." ~Mother Theresa
Here's the song ("I Want To Know You") that I alluded to above:
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Peace Comes From God.
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
I must start by saying this post had to of been the "meant to be" type. Why you ask? Well, I had this Bible verse planned as a part of my peace discussions that have been going on in the last few posts. When I finally got around to thinking what I was going to write in the devotion part of it, I went on biblegateway.com (which is where I always get my scriptures from using the new living translation on the site followed by the convenient copy and paste method to provide the verses to you in this manner) and I saw something that caught my eye. I always take a glance at the verse of the day on the site and this time it had a different impact on me than any other day's verse. The verse of the day was one of the verses that are above! Specifically, verse 8. I'm sorry to break it to you, but my friend, I don't think this happened by chance. Not to sound selfish or anything, but I think God is trying to tell me something...that I'm doing the right thing. This type of thing has happened before, when somewhere, somehow I see the same verse throughout the day (every case has a different significance). However, this has never happened in relation to this project. Maybe he wants you to read that verse again too. Keep it in mind throughout the day ;)
Now to what I intended to talk about...
This scripture is largely about prayer, which if all goes well, I hope to do a series on in the next couple months. The whole thing about receiving peace from God is to pray to him constantly, but also praise him at the same time. There has to be something good that God has done to you recently.
After you pray and start thanking God from the bottom of your heart you'll notice this feeling...a feeling of goodness. Let's think for a minute, what type mindset do you enter when you start praising God? I don't know about you, but I'm usually very reflective and my mind is going all over the place. It's almost as if I don't know what to thank him for. This is what God wants. He wants you to reason with yourself, he wants you to discover your true identity, and he wants you to be greatly appreciative, but there is one catch. He wants you to be completely and utterly honest...100 percent!
"Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained. It is the product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism." ~Dorothy Thompson
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
I must start by saying this post had to of been the "meant to be" type. Why you ask? Well, I had this Bible verse planned as a part of my peace discussions that have been going on in the last few posts. When I finally got around to thinking what I was going to write in the devotion part of it, I went on biblegateway.com (which is where I always get my scriptures from using the new living translation on the site followed by the convenient copy and paste method to provide the verses to you in this manner) and I saw something that caught my eye. I always take a glance at the verse of the day on the site and this time it had a different impact on me than any other day's verse. The verse of the day was one of the verses that are above! Specifically, verse 8. I'm sorry to break it to you, but my friend, I don't think this happened by chance. Not to sound selfish or anything, but I think God is trying to tell me something...that I'm doing the right thing. This type of thing has happened before, when somewhere, somehow I see the same verse throughout the day (every case has a different significance). However, this has never happened in relation to this project. Maybe he wants you to read that verse again too. Keep it in mind throughout the day ;)
Now to what I intended to talk about...
This scripture is largely about prayer, which if all goes well, I hope to do a series on in the next couple months. The whole thing about receiving peace from God is to pray to him constantly, but also praise him at the same time. There has to be something good that God has done to you recently.
After you pray and start thanking God from the bottom of your heart you'll notice this feeling...a feeling of goodness. Let's think for a minute, what type mindset do you enter when you start praising God? I don't know about you, but I'm usually very reflective and my mind is going all over the place. It's almost as if I don't know what to thank him for. This is what God wants. He wants you to reason with yourself, he wants you to discover your true identity, and he wants you to be greatly appreciative, but there is one catch. He wants you to be completely and utterly honest...100 percent!
"Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained. It is the product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism." ~Dorothy Thompson
Saturday, January 24, 2009
With Faith I Can Accept Grace and be at Peace.
Romans 5:1-11
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. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Paul's main idea in this passage is to emphasize faith. His powerful words talks about our salvation and in general the Christian faith. Verses 7 and 8 really stand out to me when he says, "Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
I should tell you that if I didn't have faith I don't think I would be able to stand up to God today. I know that I make mistakes, but because of my faith God has shed grace on me and reminds me everyday that I am blessed to know him.
How do you go to God? Do you keep in mind that he has given us the gift that allows us to approach him easily? We all need to appreciate that priceless gift.
We don't receive grace because of anything we've even done. Instead, it's the fact that we acknowledge that we are sinners and have seriously asked for forgiveness.
I also believe it is important that even in the worst of times we honor the great Peacemaker, God, and rejoice and worship in his name. There's always something to show gratitude for and that's God and his grace!
"If you want peace, work for justice." ~Pope Paul VI
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. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Paul's main idea in this passage is to emphasize faith. His powerful words talks about our salvation and in general the Christian faith. Verses 7 and 8 really stand out to me when he says, "Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
I should tell you that if I didn't have faith I don't think I would be able to stand up to God today. I know that I make mistakes, but because of my faith God has shed grace on me and reminds me everyday that I am blessed to know him.
How do you go to God? Do you keep in mind that he has given us the gift that allows us to approach him easily? We all need to appreciate that priceless gift.
We don't receive grace because of anything we've even done. Instead, it's the fact that we acknowledge that we are sinners and have seriously asked for forgiveness.
I also believe it is important that even in the worst of times we honor the great Peacemaker, God, and rejoice and worship in his name. There's always something to show gratitude for and that's God and his grace!
"If you want peace, work for justice." ~Pope Paul VI
Friday, January 23, 2009
Jesus Comforts Us with Peace.
John 14:25-27
25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
In your mind, what do you picture God's power as? Maybe it is a big and strong hand reaching down from the sky. If you don't see it as of now, have you ever seen a painting of a hand? Has a hand ever reached out to grab you in real life?
When I was growing up, My dad tightly grasped my hand. I knew it would protect me. It really flooded with comfort. I was comforted by the fact that my dad was promising to take care of me.
Much of the same can be said about Jesus. So how does Jesus guide you? He sends his Holy Spirit down to you. He saved us by doing just that.
All this comfort that extends from Jesus is peace. He wants to save us from the world. He will do what he needs to make us at ease in peace!
"It is possible to live in peace." ~Mahatma Gandhi
25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
In your mind, what do you picture God's power as? Maybe it is a big and strong hand reaching down from the sky. If you don't see it as of now, have you ever seen a painting of a hand? Has a hand ever reached out to grab you in real life?
When I was growing up, My dad tightly grasped my hand. I knew it would protect me. It really flooded with comfort. I was comforted by the fact that my dad was promising to take care of me.
Much of the same can be said about Jesus. So how does Jesus guide you? He sends his Holy Spirit down to you. He saved us by doing just that.
All this comfort that extends from Jesus is peace. He wants to save us from the world. He will do what he needs to make us at ease in peace!
"It is possible to live in peace." ~Mahatma Gandhi
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Perfect Peace.
Isaiah 26:3
3 You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
I thought it was the perfect time to talk about peace since we're going through a huge transition in power even after all the challenges America has faced in the last several months (of course hope is good too which we talked about in the previous four posts).
A lot has happened since I last talked to you (I'll get to the personal stuff at the end). Martin Luther King Jr. day was on Monday, as we have an annual holiday to commemorate his work and peace efforts. Also, Inauguration Day was on Tuesday. Yesterday was certainly one of those moments in history that I'll never forget...one that I will tell my kids, etc. about.
The key word above is transition. It's through this transition period that we have to be patient, hopeful, and at peace with one another. I know President Obama has issued some proclamations already but nothing as of yet will significantly turn things around. I don't blame him either...I would probably ponder for a while too (keep in mind he's in his second day). We just have to give him time. He will do some things you won't like, I promise you that. Nonetheless, God will work through him...I can see it already! Let the future under Obama be as memorable as yesterday was - the day of his inauguration ceremony. Obama said something like this in his speech, I will do my best to protect you, but you need to do your part as well. If you haven't watched the speech you should watch it online.
Americans need to cope in the midst of suffering, even though it sounds tough. Remember the ultimate leader is God. You can focus on him, rather than current troubles, as Isaiah suggested. He will never lose control. He has a plan in mind. He will stick around through EVERY single battle.
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” ~Peace Pilgrim
P.S. I've spent the last 5 days or so with my brother, sister-in-law, and baby nephew from California. It's always a treat to see them because I don't get to see them much. I had a great time, mostly filled with relaxation! I'm also delighted to say that my nephew got baptized on Sunday. It was a wonderful reminder of God's grace.
I hope you have been blessed this past week and I hope more of the same will be true for the foreseeable future.
3 You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
I thought it was the perfect time to talk about peace since we're going through a huge transition in power even after all the challenges America has faced in the last several months (of course hope is good too which we talked about in the previous four posts).
A lot has happened since I last talked to you (I'll get to the personal stuff at the end). Martin Luther King Jr. day was on Monday, as we have an annual holiday to commemorate his work and peace efforts. Also, Inauguration Day was on Tuesday. Yesterday was certainly one of those moments in history that I'll never forget...one that I will tell my kids, etc. about.
The key word above is transition. It's through this transition period that we have to be patient, hopeful, and at peace with one another. I know President Obama has issued some proclamations already but nothing as of yet will significantly turn things around. I don't blame him either...I would probably ponder for a while too (keep in mind he's in his second day). We just have to give him time. He will do some things you won't like, I promise you that. Nonetheless, God will work through him...I can see it already! Let the future under Obama be as memorable as yesterday was - the day of his inauguration ceremony. Obama said something like this in his speech, I will do my best to protect you, but you need to do your part as well. If you haven't watched the speech you should watch it online.
Americans need to cope in the midst of suffering, even though it sounds tough. Remember the ultimate leader is God. You can focus on him, rather than current troubles, as Isaiah suggested. He will never lose control. He has a plan in mind. He will stick around through EVERY single battle.
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” ~Peace Pilgrim
P.S. I've spent the last 5 days or so with my brother, sister-in-law, and baby nephew from California. It's always a treat to see them because I don't get to see them much. I had a great time, mostly filled with relaxation! I'm also delighted to say that my nephew got baptized on Sunday. It was a wonderful reminder of God's grace.
I hope you have been blessed this past week and I hope more of the same will be true for the foreseeable future.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
An Outburst of Hope.
Job 19:25
25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last.
Isn't it amazing that in the midst of such agony, Job expressed incredible words and expressions of hope? It was clear that Job wasn't covering his anxiety, but it appears that among all his difficulties, nothing allowed his hope to vanish or fade away.
Job realizes that God is executing his purpose, his plan. Job believes that he will see God's majesty before his very eyes along with everyone else.
This book in the bible shows that God's plan at times is mysterious and confusing. Its terms are far too unearthly for us to understand. So, just as Job did, we have to put our trust in the Lord...that he will provide us with answers eventually. Also, if you worship him like David did (see Tuesday's post) you will more clearly understand the work of God.
Say a prayer to God thanking him for sending Jesus to be your Redeemer. Ask him to help you accept his plan.
"To argue with God is to argue with the very power that makes it possible to argue at all." ~C.S. Lewis
"Because he lives, I can face tomorrow." ~Unknown
Here's a song to listen to: "My Redeemer Lives"
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last.
Isn't it amazing that in the midst of such agony, Job expressed incredible words and expressions of hope? It was clear that Job wasn't covering his anxiety, but it appears that among all his difficulties, nothing allowed his hope to vanish or fade away.
Job realizes that God is executing his purpose, his plan. Job believes that he will see God's majesty before his very eyes along with everyone else.
This book in the bible shows that God's plan at times is mysterious and confusing. Its terms are far too unearthly for us to understand. So, just as Job did, we have to put our trust in the Lord...that he will provide us with answers eventually. Also, if you worship him like David did (see Tuesday's post) you will more clearly understand the work of God.
Say a prayer to God thanking him for sending Jesus to be your Redeemer. Ask him to help you accept his plan.
"To argue with God is to argue with the very power that makes it possible to argue at all." ~C.S. Lewis
"Because he lives, I can face tomorrow." ~Unknown
Here's a song to listen to: "My Redeemer Lives"
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Have Hope in the Lord.
1 Timothy 6:17-18
17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
Paul lists several strong requirements for those that have wealth.
1. To do good;
2. To be rich in good works;
3. To be generous to those in need; and
4. To be ready to share with others
I know what you may be thinking..."I don't fit into this category. What do I do from here?" You may not be rich in a literal sense, but compared to the rest of the world, I bet you are.
Numbers three and four must be highly important since the same thing is generally stated twice. "Be generous to those in need" and "be ready to share with others" are clearly emphasized in Paul's message. He wants you to set some of your expenses aside and give them to the less fortunate. Don't keep the money all for yourself. Let others see the love of God by giving! (see early December posts about giving starting December 5).
I kinda got on a different rant that I planned today, but it is important to note that money should not get in the way of God. Don't forget to put your hope and trust in God, "who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment."
"The miserable have no other medicine
But only hope." ~William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure
17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
Paul lists several strong requirements for those that have wealth.
1. To do good;
2. To be rich in good works;
3. To be generous to those in need; and
4. To be ready to share with others
I know what you may be thinking..."I don't fit into this category. What do I do from here?" You may not be rich in a literal sense, but compared to the rest of the world, I bet you are.
Numbers three and four must be highly important since the same thing is generally stated twice. "Be generous to those in need" and "be ready to share with others" are clearly emphasized in Paul's message. He wants you to set some of your expenses aside and give them to the less fortunate. Don't keep the money all for yourself. Let others see the love of God by giving! (see early December posts about giving starting December 5).
I kinda got on a different rant that I planned today, but it is important to note that money should not get in the way of God. Don't forget to put your hope and trust in God, "who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment."
"The miserable have no other medicine
But only hope." ~William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Hope in a Time of Sorrow.
1 Chronicles 28:9
9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
David showed the importance of worship in Israel. He began to build a temple and organized the Priests to serve there. He hired many musicians in order to worship and Praise the Lord.
David had prosperous days and most importantly devoted time to God. A new temple was finally built. Thus, they had just what they needed to be followers of Christ in the Holy Land.
What did it mean for them to have God? God provides strength during any time in life. In fact, David realized that when he worshipped the Lord.
You can see the followers were starting over - fresh and new. In the meantime, God gave them strength and lots of power in the process!
"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.” ~Author Unknown
9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
David showed the importance of worship in Israel. He began to build a temple and organized the Priests to serve there. He hired many musicians in order to worship and Praise the Lord.
David had prosperous days and most importantly devoted time to God. A new temple was finally built. Thus, they had just what they needed to be followers of Christ in the Holy Land.
What did it mean for them to have God? God provides strength during any time in life. In fact, David realized that when he worshipped the Lord.
You can see the followers were starting over - fresh and new. In the meantime, God gave them strength and lots of power in the process!
"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.” ~Author Unknown
Monday, January 12, 2009
God Provides Hope in Difficult Times.
Jeremiah 32:6-10; 13-15
6 At that time the Lord sent me a message. He said, 7 “Your cousin Hanamel son of Shallum will come and say to you, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else.’”
8 Then, just as the Lord had said he would, my cousin Hanamel came and visited me in the prison. He said, “Please buy my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else, so buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that the message I had heard was from the Lord.
9 So I bought the field at Anathoth, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces of silver for it. 10 I signed and sealed the deed of purchase before witnesses, weighed out the silver, and paid him.
13 Then I said to Baruch as they all listened, 14 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take both this sealed deed and the unsealed copy, and put them into a pottery jar to preserve them for a long time.’ 15 For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.’”
Jeremiah is one of God's prophets. His feelings are very honest and open. His relationship with God is a little shaky as he has had quarrels and outbursts with God.
In the passage above, land was bought. The purchase was made as a message and teaching of hope (verse 15). During this time period, Jews could not control their land, so God promised that they would become free people eventually. Since Jeremiah had faith in God, he bought the land.
Can you say patience? Patience was needed here...waiting for anything is difficult. In this case, the waiting was for God to work on the situation.
How do you cope with difficult times, such as the financial times that are affecting many areas of life today? Do you truly believe that God could help you in your situation?
Pray about this. Praise God for giving you hope when gloominess surrounds you. Talk to God about any hardships that you are encountering at the present time.
“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. ~Oscar Wilde
6 At that time the Lord sent me a message. He said, 7 “Your cousin Hanamel son of Shallum will come and say to you, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else.’”
8 Then, just as the Lord had said he would, my cousin Hanamel came and visited me in the prison. He said, “Please buy my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else, so buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that the message I had heard was from the Lord.
9 So I bought the field at Anathoth, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces of silver for it. 10 I signed and sealed the deed of purchase before witnesses, weighed out the silver, and paid him.
13 Then I said to Baruch as they all listened, 14 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take both this sealed deed and the unsealed copy, and put them into a pottery jar to preserve them for a long time.’ 15 For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.’”
Jeremiah is one of God's prophets. His feelings are very honest and open. His relationship with God is a little shaky as he has had quarrels and outbursts with God.
In the passage above, land was bought. The purchase was made as a message and teaching of hope (verse 15). During this time period, Jews could not control their land, so God promised that they would become free people eventually. Since Jeremiah had faith in God, he bought the land.
Can you say patience? Patience was needed here...waiting for anything is difficult. In this case, the waiting was for God to work on the situation.
How do you cope with difficult times, such as the financial times that are affecting many areas of life today? Do you truly believe that God could help you in your situation?
Pray about this. Praise God for giving you hope when gloominess surrounds you. Talk to God about any hardships that you are encountering at the present time.
“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. ~Oscar Wilde
Saturday, January 10, 2009
My Lesson Regarding Honor and Humility.
2 Corinthians 8:8-9
8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
I know these are aren't perfect verses for what I am going to talk about, but it does relate to the humility vs. honor idea that I mentioned on Tuesday. I suggest that you read that devotion (if you haven't already) before reading this one. Here, I will provide you with a real life example that just occured this week and it connects to what was discussed on Tuesday.
I was accepted into the National Honor Society at my school. The induction ceremony was on Thursday. I felt privledged and honored to be considered, in fact accpeted, into such a creditble club. After having the certificate in my hand, something was brought to my attention. That is, whether or not I felt honored or humbled when I received the reward.
It certainly made me think. I'm pretty sure I fell for the trap too...feeling more honored and focused on myself (it did feel kinda good to be recognized in a public manner (though). I think it was a lesson from God. It's hard to believe I wrote such words just days before underlining the difference between the two and emphasizing humble characteristics. I believe God had this in mind the whole time. Why else would I talk about humility during this particular week?
"The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient." —St. Augustine
8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
I know these are aren't perfect verses for what I am going to talk about, but it does relate to the humility vs. honor idea that I mentioned on Tuesday. I suggest that you read that devotion (if you haven't already) before reading this one. Here, I will provide you with a real life example that just occured this week and it connects to what was discussed on Tuesday.
I was accepted into the National Honor Society at my school. The induction ceremony was on Thursday. I felt privledged and honored to be considered, in fact accpeted, into such a creditble club. After having the certificate in my hand, something was brought to my attention. That is, whether or not I felt honored or humbled when I received the reward.
It certainly made me think. I'm pretty sure I fell for the trap too...feeling more honored and focused on myself (it did feel kinda good to be recognized in a public manner (though). I think it was a lesson from God. It's hard to believe I wrote such words just days before underlining the difference between the two and emphasizing humble characteristics. I believe God had this in mind the whole time. Why else would I talk about humility during this particular week?
"The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient." —St. Augustine
Friday, January 9, 2009
Imitating Christ's Humility.
Philippians 2:1-11
1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Paul has certainly been through a rough time, including imprisonment and beatings. Still, Paul's spirits remained as high as he could keep them.
In this chapter of Philippians, Paul tells us what motivates him...what makes him tick. He explains that Jesus gave up everything to become a human, and he's not just any 'ole man, but a loving servant who gave up his life for others. Paul follows this trait of Christ.
Occasionally, the reader of this passage may think that Paul is going to give up at a certain point, but also mixed in there are descriptions of what what keeps him from doing the expected..."God elevated him to the place of highest honor" (verse 9). God provides him with joy and that can happen in your life as well.
How can you "consider others better than yourself" (verse 3) without lowering your self-esteem?
Paul's spiritual style can be summed up this way: "I pray as if all depends on God; I work as if all depends on me." ~Saint Teresa of Avila
1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Paul has certainly been through a rough time, including imprisonment and beatings. Still, Paul's spirits remained as high as he could keep them.
In this chapter of Philippians, Paul tells us what motivates him...what makes him tick. He explains that Jesus gave up everything to become a human, and he's not just any 'ole man, but a loving servant who gave up his life for others. Paul follows this trait of Christ.
Occasionally, the reader of this passage may think that Paul is going to give up at a certain point, but also mixed in there are descriptions of what what keeps him from doing the expected..."God elevated him to the place of highest honor" (verse 9). God provides him with joy and that can happen in your life as well.
How can you "consider others better than yourself" (verse 3) without lowering your self-esteem?
Paul's spiritual style can be summed up this way: "I pray as if all depends on God; I work as if all depends on me." ~Saint Teresa of Avila
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Don't Be Your Own Boss.
1 Peter 5:5-7
5 In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for
“God opposes the proud
but favors the humble.”
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
We've all had conversations with strangers, right? They're not always open and honest. It's can be difficult to converse about spiritual matters. When it does happen though, it can be pretty incredible.
The trouble is sometimes we try to be our own boss, whether it is us or someone else or that stranger you talked to yesterday. We can't be submissive to anything but God.
When you're in the presence of someone who does this and you notice it, don't treat them poorly. Bring it up to God and let God work the kinks out. Pray that they will not idol what is false.
If you serve someone else that's being humble to the Lord. It shows that you appreciate, love, and respect God. It's brings out the uniqueness in YOU! Humility and serving God is accompanied by an image of faith that other people see.
"Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all." ~William Temple
5 In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for
“God opposes the proud
but favors the humble.”
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
We've all had conversations with strangers, right? They're not always open and honest. It's can be difficult to converse about spiritual matters. When it does happen though, it can be pretty incredible.
The trouble is sometimes we try to be our own boss, whether it is us or someone else or that stranger you talked to yesterday. We can't be submissive to anything but God.
When you're in the presence of someone who does this and you notice it, don't treat them poorly. Bring it up to God and let God work the kinks out. Pray that they will not idol what is false.
If you serve someone else that's being humble to the Lord. It shows that you appreciate, love, and respect God. It's brings out the uniqueness in YOU! Humility and serving God is accompanied by an image of faith that other people see.
"Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all." ~William Temple
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Do As the Little Child Would.
Matthew 18:1-4
1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
When you see a young child what comes across your mind? A troublemaker? A beauty from God? Well in essence, the young child is a beautiful act created by God. At the same time, while he or she may temper tantrums from time to time, aren't they so innocent? You can also trust them too. They certainly don't hide the truth based on what I've seen. Also, little by little, you can plant faith in them because they aren't influenced by the world yet.
Listen to what the Word is revealing to us. If we humble ourselves just as the little child did, we are promised to be a part of God's kingdom. Where does the Kingdom of Heaven begin? It simply begins in your heart and soul and extends into heaven where you can find the Lord.
Just as a child doesn't focus on the secular items, you shouldn't. No matter what the world says, don't worry about it. Don't let anything get in the way of your humble walk with God.
"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” ~Norman Vincent Peale
1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
When you see a young child what comes across your mind? A troublemaker? A beauty from God? Well in essence, the young child is a beautiful act created by God. At the same time, while he or she may temper tantrums from time to time, aren't they so innocent? You can also trust them too. They certainly don't hide the truth based on what I've seen. Also, little by little, you can plant faith in them because they aren't influenced by the world yet.
Listen to what the Word is revealing to us. If we humble ourselves just as the little child did, we are promised to be a part of God's kingdom. Where does the Kingdom of Heaven begin? It simply begins in your heart and soul and extends into heaven where you can find the Lord.
Just as a child doesn't focus on the secular items, you shouldn't. No matter what the world says, don't worry about it. Don't let anything get in the way of your humble walk with God.
"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” ~Norman Vincent Peale
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
It's Not Easy, but It's Not Impossible.
Proverbs 25:6-7
6 Don’t demand an audience with the king
or push for a place among the great.
7 It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table
than to be sent away in public disgrace.
Just because you’ve seen something,
Humility is not found enough in the world. Even though it is a challenge, one can certainly be humble. It's to be taken and used. One can have humility but, it has to be developed and we have to train ourselves to bring it out into the world. If you're humble, you give credit where it's necessary. Honor, however is something that is received.
I think the difference between humility and honor is still a little fuzzy so here are the definitions from dictionary.com:
humility - a lack of false pride
honor - high public esteem; fame; glory
Hopefully that helps a bit.
Anyways, we tend to interchange humility and honor in our lives. A lot of times we seek honor and therefore we get a lot of attention from our peers, classmates, and co-workers. It's something that causes us to get all the attention.
When we aim for honor, we're totally dropping the humility trait. We may honor ourselves, but we're not honoring others and certainly not Jesus Christ. Honor is accompanied by false pride, unlike humility (refer to definition again). Sometimes this causes us to lie.
Why does the mix-up happen to us? For the simple reason that we forget we are honored by God's presence all the time. Don't worry about trying to gain an honorable status. God took care of that long, long ago...he makes us look good with him in his life. God gave up his son Jesus so that YOU could have a renewed life. I think that's impressive! Feed your humility to others, not yourself.
"It [Humility] is like the person who was awarded the "Most Humble" pin and lost it for putting it on."
P.S. Read this real quick from 1 Chronicles 17:16:
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,
“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
Notice how King David possesses humility. He credited God's grace, not his own, for his great success. David accepted news from his prophet Nathan and did so with thanksgiving. That's a perfect example of humility.
6 Don’t demand an audience with the king
or push for a place among the great.
7 It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table
than to be sent away in public disgrace.
Just because you’ve seen something,
Humility is not found enough in the world. Even though it is a challenge, one can certainly be humble. It's to be taken and used. One can have humility but, it has to be developed and we have to train ourselves to bring it out into the world. If you're humble, you give credit where it's necessary. Honor, however is something that is received.
I think the difference between humility and honor is still a little fuzzy so here are the definitions from dictionary.com:
humility - a lack of false pride
honor - high public esteem; fame; glory
Hopefully that helps a bit.
Anyways, we tend to interchange humility and honor in our lives. A lot of times we seek honor and therefore we get a lot of attention from our peers, classmates, and co-workers. It's something that causes us to get all the attention.
When we aim for honor, we're totally dropping the humility trait. We may honor ourselves, but we're not honoring others and certainly not Jesus Christ. Honor is accompanied by false pride, unlike humility (refer to definition again). Sometimes this causes us to lie.
Why does the mix-up happen to us? For the simple reason that we forget we are honored by God's presence all the time. Don't worry about trying to gain an honorable status. God took care of that long, long ago...he makes us look good with him in his life. God gave up his son Jesus so that YOU could have a renewed life. I think that's impressive! Feed your humility to others, not yourself.
"It [Humility] is like the person who was awarded the "Most Humble" pin and lost it for putting it on."
P.S. Read this real quick from 1 Chronicles 17:16:
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,
“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
Notice how King David possesses humility. He credited God's grace, not his own, for his great success. David accepted news from his prophet Nathan and did so with thanksgiving. That's a perfect example of humility.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Walk Humbly with God.
Micah 6:6-8
6 What can we bring to the Lord?
What kind of offerings should we give him?
Should we bow before God
with offerings of yearling calves?
7 Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
If you asked someone what makes a good Christian, what would they say? Depending on the person it will be different. Some people say to go to church every week. If you follow that piece of advice, you could wind up in trouble. Focusing so much on the little stuff like attending a service every single week, a lot of times that means you'll be more concerned about punctuality and attendance than your relationship with God.
That's why God asks us to walk humbly with him. This solves that problem. To walk humbly with God means to portray a submissive (complying) respect toward God. I say it's time to make a journey with Christ and zero in on one purpose: to serve the one and only Jesus Christ!
“Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, it is to be humble.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
6 What can we bring to the Lord?
What kind of offerings should we give him?
Should we bow before God
with offerings of yearling calves?
7 Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
If you asked someone what makes a good Christian, what would they say? Depending on the person it will be different. Some people say to go to church every week. If you follow that piece of advice, you could wind up in trouble. Focusing so much on the little stuff like attending a service every single week, a lot of times that means you'll be more concerned about punctuality and attendance than your relationship with God.
That's why God asks us to walk humbly with him. This solves that problem. To walk humbly with God means to portray a submissive (complying) respect toward God. I say it's time to make a journey with Christ and zero in on one purpose: to serve the one and only Jesus Christ!
“Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, it is to be humble.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Wipe Them Away.
Psalm 51:1-3
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
I'm not sure who is speaking here, but I do know, that whoever it is, he is confessing his sin to God. You can hear his uncertainty, his guilt that is mounted on his forehead. He is beside himself because of the sin he committed.
That's pretty easy to understand. It's not always easy for us to get out of the guilt trap we place upon ourselves. Often we beg to God that he will remove those burdens that we have before us, while in the back of our minds we still know that God has vowed to forgive us.
We can't ever be reminded enough of God's mercy, healing, and unconditional love he provides for us through Christ.
Thank Christ for the price he paid to make this truth 'a moment with God away.'
Use the Psalm above and turn it into a prayer. I'll get you started: Dear Lord...
:)
“You can't undo anything you've already done, but you can face up to it. You can tell the truth. You can seek forgiveness. And then let God do the rest.” ~Author Unknown
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
I'm not sure who is speaking here, but I do know, that whoever it is, he is confessing his sin to God. You can hear his uncertainty, his guilt that is mounted on his forehead. He is beside himself because of the sin he committed.
That's pretty easy to understand. It's not always easy for us to get out of the guilt trap we place upon ourselves. Often we beg to God that he will remove those burdens that we have before us, while in the back of our minds we still know that God has vowed to forgive us.
We can't ever be reminded enough of God's mercy, healing, and unconditional love he provides for us through Christ.
Thank Christ for the price he paid to make this truth 'a moment with God away.'
Use the Psalm above and turn it into a prayer. I'll get you started: Dear Lord...
:)
“You can't undo anything you've already done, but you can face up to it. You can tell the truth. You can seek forgiveness. And then let God do the rest.” ~Author Unknown
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Friday, January 2, 2009
How's Your New Way of Life Going?
Mark 2:21-22
21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”
Okay maybe it's a bit too early to ask that question, but seriously have you given it any thought? That is, anything I've suggested this week. No pressure!
I just really want you to know that Jesus' way is right and I guess you could say relatively new. Following Jesus means a life filled with grace and forgiveness. Living his way is unlike any other...JOYFUL!
It does take work. You can't just wake up tomorrow and be set. It requires some "exercise," and a re-do in your ways. It's a change for the better though. You can't just make him a part of your old self.
I'll tell you it is difficult. Try giving him (or lifting up/praying for) the portions of your life that you're struggling with...those parts that you have no idea how to tweak. He'll show you the way and transform you. Jesus will give you new wine for your soul as it says above. So praise God, but also ask him to help make all things in your life new.
"We can't change the wind, but we can adjust the sails." ~Author Unknown
21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”
Okay maybe it's a bit too early to ask that question, but seriously have you given it any thought? That is, anything I've suggested this week. No pressure!
I just really want you to know that Jesus' way is right and I guess you could say relatively new. Following Jesus means a life filled with grace and forgiveness. Living his way is unlike any other...JOYFUL!
It does take work. You can't just wake up tomorrow and be set. It requires some "exercise," and a re-do in your ways. It's a change for the better though. You can't just make him a part of your old self.
I'll tell you it is difficult. Try giving him (or lifting up/praying for) the portions of your life that you're struggling with...those parts that you have no idea how to tweak. He'll show you the way and transform you. Jesus will give you new wine for your soul as it says above. So praise God, but also ask him to help make all things in your life new.
"We can't change the wind, but we can adjust the sails." ~Author Unknown
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year = New Slate.
Matthew 11:28
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
When you purchase something new...it looks good and I guess you could say it smells good too! I'm funny that way. Well, it is true :)
Now that the new year is here, let this be your opportunity to change your ways. What did you come up with for your "spiritual" resolution that I talked about in the devotion a couple days ago? You can start over (technically you can start over any day, but why not today while you're thinking about it). No matter what you've done, God forgives you and clears away your sins (now you see them, now you don't!!!) He expects us to be far from perfect, but when you ask for forgiveness he does just that. He provides you with rest from your burdens, including everything that troubles you. You my friend, have a new slate waiting for you. That is the best gift you can get. It's better than any of your other gifts that you received this holiday season. Now you just have to stay at it. Don't venture too far from God!
"The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul” ~G.K. Charleston
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you a spectacular year full of God's blessings. May you see him throughout the next 365 days!
Don't forget to leave me comments at heytbone92@gmail.com whenever you feel led to do so.
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
When you purchase something new...it looks good and I guess you could say it smells good too! I'm funny that way. Well, it is true :)
Now that the new year is here, let this be your opportunity to change your ways. What did you come up with for your "spiritual" resolution that I talked about in the devotion a couple days ago? You can start over (technically you can start over any day, but why not today while you're thinking about it). No matter what you've done, God forgives you and clears away your sins (now you see them, now you don't!!!) He expects us to be far from perfect, but when you ask for forgiveness he does just that. He provides you with rest from your burdens, including everything that troubles you. You my friend, have a new slate waiting for you. That is the best gift you can get. It's better than any of your other gifts that you received this holiday season. Now you just have to stay at it. Don't venture too far from God!
"The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul” ~G.K. Charleston
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you a spectacular year full of God's blessings. May you see him throughout the next 365 days!
Don't forget to leave me comments at heytbone92@gmail.com whenever you feel led to do so.
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