Month: April 2016

Are you Looking?

I’m always interested in the statements from scripture that ask the question “Are you the one”, “Are you the coming Messiah”, or state the fact “I know the Messiah is coming”.  People were living their lives looking for and anticipating the Messiah coming.  They had a desire to have Him come and this had to have affected how they lived their lives. We, on the other hand, know He as come and that He is coming again.  I have to wonder if there is more expected of us because we know.  We have more access to His word and we neglect it. We have more knowledge of what His expectations for our lives and we do not obey.  Choose to live for Him and daily live to honor and glorify Him.

Matthew 11:2
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another

Hebrews 10:37
“Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls

John 11:27
She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world

Giving from the Heart

Giving comes from the heart.  If we give out of compassion or thankfulness our heart is pure.  God gives us opportunity to love others through giving and serving.  Being blessed by God allows us to share that blessing.  If we are not willing to give from what we have already been given then our heart is not in line with God’s intended purpose for our life.  Choose a life of giving.

Matthew 10:42
And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward

Proverbs 14:31
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him

Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed

Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises

Acknowledge God

One would think believing and trusting in God should have an impact on our lives (actions, thoughts, and what we say).  If we claim faith in what our Father has promised, and if we have the most elementary understanding of His love, mercy and grace, shouldn’t our hope and strength, this side of eternity, be proclaimed.  How are those without hope and peace in their lives ever going to know the hope that is within us if we do not share it.  Make a difference today and share the hope that is freely given.

Matthew 10:32
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Romans 10:9
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Hebrews 10:34
But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For,
“Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him

Revelation 3:5
The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels

Present with God

How many times do we allow anxious thoughts to  overrun our lives?  How much time do we spend chasing these thoughts over and over again, stacking up more unanswerable questions and concerns?  Why do we fear the unknown reasons, thoughts, and potential actions of others? Scripture never says we will not see trials in our lives but it certainly says that our Father in Heaven will never leave us or forsake us.  We seem to fear the unknown of what man has done or will do over what God has promised He will do?  Do not allow the fear of the unknown rob you from living in the present with God.

Matthew 10:31
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows

Matthew 6:25
Look at the birds of the air:they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life

Philippians 4:6
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Nothing is Hidden

Everyday we have choices.  We can choose to make a difference in the lives of those we come into contact each day.  We are called to bring hope, kindness, love, joy, help, encouragement, peace… to a lost world.  How many times have do we choose self over others?  We will be accountable for applying what has been given to us. Be a humble servant to others today.
Matthew 10:26
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops

Mark 4:21
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Luke 8:17
For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away

1 Timothy 5:23
The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden

Be like the Teacher

Do you ever wonder what example to follow?  Our life is not to be a list of do’s and don’ts.  Our life is to be filled with desire and purpose to Honor and Glorify our Master and Teacher.  It does not take much reading of God’s word to know we fail to look for His example and obey what it says.  What would the world look like if we truly desired to be like our Teacher?

Matthew 10:24
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master

John 13:16
Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them

Luke 6:40
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher

Remain Steadfast

What does it mean to be Faithful, Endure, Steadfast, and Conquer? I have been thinking about this lately. Do we water down what is expected of us? Do we think for a second that we fulfill any of these by just being in Church on Sunday? The One that calls us to be faithful, to endure, to be steadfast, and to conquer has much more for us. He calls us to be faithful in placing Him first, honoring and glorifying Him, and desiring Him above all this world offers. He calls us to live every moment of our life in His presence. I am ashamed at how many days I don’t remain steadfast serving Him. I live more for myself than Him.

Matthew 10:22 – But the one who endures to the end will be saved

James 5:11
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful

Revelation 2:10
Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death

Hebrews 3:6
but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Innocent as a Dove

Being blameless, innocent, and wise seems to be a huge task if we are at all conscious of ourselves.  To what standard are we to use to compare our actions, intent, and thought?  Do we look at the corrupt world and culture with a longing to be or have part of it?  Do we walk close to it and at times step into the same thoughts and actions?  How are we to keep our heart pure?  Scripture states that out of the abundance of our heart the mouth speaks.  What is feeding our heart, what we think about, what we find purpose in, will determine the course of our heart, actions, and thoughts.  Having a desire to honor and glorify God along with understanding what His word says and then obeying what He says to your heart – I understand new each day I have only begun to scratch the surface in living for Him.

Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves

Romans 16:19
For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil

Philippians 2:15
that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life

Jeremiah 4:22
“For my people are foolish;
they know me not;
they are stupid children;
they have no understanding.
They are ‘wise’—in doing evil!
But how to do good they know not

Sacrifice of Fools

Why do we try so hard to earn our way before God?  Do we think we can perform in such a way that it will make us right before God?   This type of thinking/life replaces the work of Christ and dilutes faith to keeping a ledger of the good and bad that we do and serves no purpose before the eyes of God. We can never do enough good to replace Grace.  Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to God but through me.  Choose to humbly confess sin and by faith know it is forgiven rather than trying to replace it with a ledger of good/bad.

Matthew 9:12
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. ’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners

Hosea 6:6
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings

1 Samuel 15:22
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams

Ecclesiastes 5:1
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil

Isaiah 1:15
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause

Choosing Knowledge of God

Jesus had just healed two men, delivering them from demon possession and after this people of the region begged Him to leave.  Others, in scripture, reject knowledge of God and still others hold to evil and reject good.   Why do people reject Him?  How many times do we reject His leading and purpose throughout the day? Rejecting God and His purpose for our lives comes with many consequences, all of them bad.  However, for those who chose to humbly serve Him – they will find peace, love, joy, blessing, hope, and security.

Matthew 8:34
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region

Psalms 36:2
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children

Proverbs 1:29
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster