Intervention

1Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (he Holy Bible, New International Version)

Sometimes this verse is hard to believe. We may know in our mind God puts no more on us than we can bear and that everything must first pass through His hand but sometimes it doesn’t appear so. We know God has the power to intervene in all things but sometimes it appears He does not. Sometimes it is because we fail to see His intervention. Sometimes it is because we refuse His intervention. God has chosen not to force man to respond to Him. We may go through life not understanding why many things happen to our loved ones or us. At those times we must choose to trust God. He is faithful and all knowing. We only know the present and the past and that knowledge is filtered by our emotions lack of complete information and/or vision. God knows all past, present and future and has complete information and perfect vision. Next time we face a trial let us remember all is not always as it seems and God is faithful to move us through any trial or temptation we might face if we will only look for Him.

Sacrifice

Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. (The Holy Bible, New International Version)

We begin our church service singing, “We bring the sacrifice of praise into the House of our Lord…and we offer up to You, the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and we offer up to You the sacrifices of joy.” The question was asked, “What is meant by sacrifice?” Sacrifice means the giving up of something. We are singing about giving up our praises, our thanksgiving and our joy to God. People have the ability to appreciate what others do for them and yet keep it to themselves; not say anything. We are expressing our thanks and praise to God, not only for all He has and does do for us but also for Who He is. When we come to church we are sacrificing our time we might be doing something else. Most every choice we make involves a sacrifice of doing one thing instead of another thing. Our question is, how often are we willing to choose sacrificing the time God gives us to the worship, praise and service to Him?

Be Ready

Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (The Holy Bible, New International Version)

I was reading through scripture looking for something to say about not knowing what to write today when I came across this. I didn’t think God had anything to say through me today. After 4 years of writing a daily devotion I thought there was nothing to say. I was so wrong. We must always be ready for our Lord Jesus to come. This is a daily, and maybe even a minute by minute preparation of a state of readiness. What does it take to be ready? We need to stay updated on confessing our sins, receiving forgiveness and thanking God for forgiveness. We need to be found in the center of His will for our lives at every instant. We need to be found working for His coming and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth. How can we be always working for this? We stay in an attitude of readiness. Just like an emergency worker is always listening for the alarm we are to be always listing for God to speak to us. We need to be always ready to change direction when He calls. We need to be always ready to say as Samuel did, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Our question today is are we ready and listening?

As a side note I ask your prayers for a friend named Daisy. It is really pouring on her right now with a husband in ICU, the sudden death of her daughter-in-law and her own illness with an infection.

Guidebooks

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (The Holy Bible, New International Version)

I’ve been reading an e-book called “A Book of Discovery. In it I learned that a woman started the pilgrim age in the year 326. Her name was Helena, the daughter of the King of Britain and the mother of Emperor Constantine. Helena was a divinity student and devoted Christian. Travel was not easy in that age but she went to Jerusalem and claimed to have discovered the cross of Jesus with the inscription Pilate placed on in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. This news started a rush of pilgrims. Because of this one of the pilgrims (name unknown) wrote the first Christian guidebook called “Itinerary from Bordeaux to Jerusalem. I doubt Helena realized what she started. The pilgrimages to Jerusalem continue to this day and hundreds of Christian guidebooks have been written to help the pilgrims. We have a guidebook for Christians written before this every happened. It is the “Holy Bible.” In it we find all the directions for every phase of our lives and every place we go. Many guidebooks look well used after a pilgrimage. Our question is how does our guidebook (the Bible) look? Is it well used? Do we consult it every day, multiple times a day? When we are in a new place we consult our guidebooks before we move into the day. Do we do that with the guidebook God gave us? Let’s take our guidebook every where we go – into all the world. Thank You, God for the perfect guide book for life.

Foundation

2Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” (The Holy Bible, New International)

We have discovered the foundation of our church building is sinking. The beams that hold the floor are rotting. Both these situations are reparable. Each person needs a foundation to support his or her life. The only foundation for life is God. He created us and He is our foundation. When we stand on His Word our life is stable and free from rot. Without the foundation of God we fall into the wickedness of the world. God seals our foundation with His inscription – the blood of His Son, Jesus, which was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. When we confess Him and are sealed with God’s inscription our false and rotten foundation of sin is straightened and all rot is replaced through God’s Holy Spirit. As long as we turn away from wickedness our beams stay centered on God’s foundation. It is up to us to watch and stay within the precepts God has given us in His written Word (the Holy Bible) to stay centered on the foundation. Through our private Bible studies and our group Bible studies we can stay centered on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

Mercy

Matthew 12:7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. (The Holy Bible, New International Version)

Mercy is being given what we don’t earn or deserve. It is only through God’s mercy that we have forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. It is only through God’s mercy we receive blessings from Him. Jesus says we are to show mercy to others. We are to do this whether they deserve it, earn it or ask for it. Our human nature is retribution. Our human nature is people should get what is coming to them, what they deserve. Our question is, will we obey our old nature or will we obey the command of Jesus? Next time someone offends us, hurts us or even inconveniences us we have a choice – show the mercy or pay them back what we think they deserve. We have this choice multiple times in a day. It even includes how we drive in traffic, how we treat a server in a restaurant having trouble giving us the kind of service we think we should have and on and on in various situations of each of our days. Let’s ask God to make us more sensitive to how we respond to others and let’s learn to respond with mercy.

Jealous God

Exodus20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God (The Holy Bible, New International Version)

God says it like it is. He is jealous. He created us to have fellowship with Him He wants our first love and priority to be Him. He wants us to put Him first before all things and people. Where are our fellowship priorities? Who do we think about the most? Who do we talk to the most? Who do we really love the most? I don’t really know anyone who shows with their priorities that they really put God first in all things. We tend to rationalize He is a forgiving God. He’ll love us no matter what. Yes, He is forgiving as long as we are covered in the blood of His Son, Jesus and as long as we confess and repent. Yes, He is loving – more than we can ever conceive. He is also God and He alone sets the ground rules. He said we must put Him first. We must love Him with ALL our heart, mind, soul and strength. This shouldn’t be hard for us but it is. We are so distracted by things of this earth that are so very temporary. How I pray for God’s Holy Spirit to help me keep my focus on God in and through all distractions. We do live in this world and we have things we must do in this world but all that we do should and can be done to the glory of God – even something simple like taking out the garbage. I’ve mentioned this little book before but it is worth mentioning again. It is “Practicing the Presence” by Brother Laurence. It is available as a free e-book. If you haven’t already done so I recommend you download it and read it. May God help us all to really love Him and really put Him first for His glory. Amen

Watch Our Life

1Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (The Holy Bible, New International Version.)

What wonderful advice from Paul to Timothy. What wonderful advice to us today. We are to make sure our life stays within the doctrine God has set forth for us. This will save us and be an example to those around us. We cannot do this if we let our culture dictate our daily life choices. All our decisions should be based on God’s Word to us. He was careful to speak to the writers of the Bible through His Holy Spirit to record His doctrines, the history of those who have gone before us (including where they went wrong with their life decisions) and many of the teachings of His Son, Jesus Christ, as He walked this earth in the way we should. Paul didn’t write these words to correct Timothy, he wrote them for encouragement. Whenever we get discouraged, instead of going for food or drugs or anything else we should get into God’s Word. It is God Who made us and it is God Who knows what we need. Instead of watching the lives of others let us get busy and watch our life each day and be sure it stays in agreement with the Word of God.

Another Decade

Psalms 48:14 For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

1 Corinthians1:8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (The Holy Bible, New International Version)

Today I enter a new decade. Each year we walk on this earth brings us closer to the end of our walk here. I’ve searched the scriptures and can’t find the word retirement in them. Retirement and “golden years” are terms made up in our modern culture. God designed us to follow His decrees and work to prepare the people on this earth for the coming of His Kingdom. Nowhere does it say spend all of your later years traveling, playing games or sports and generally just have fun. When we no longer find ourselves going to a job to earn income for our sustenance we are blessed with more time for the blessing of serving our God more completely. In my younger years I never thought God would enable me to preach His Word or write devotions every day. Though I still work for income I find more time to immerse myself in God. I still play golf and socialize but find my desire more and more in speaking forth His Word. He blessed me in the work of His service in my younger years and we are called to spread His Word all of our years. As we look to years passing let us (regardless of what decade we are in) be sure to keep our priorities straight. Let us also practice being in the present and not always looking to the future. Our eternal life started the day we accepted Jesus into our lives. Let’s not pass from one day to the next with regrets. Let us “stay strong to the end” in our love, devotion and work God appointed us to do.

Speak, Lord

1Samuel 3:8-10 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel! ” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (The Holy Bible, New International Version)

I really like these verses. I like them because God often speaks to me in the middle of the night. I’m ashamed to say I’m not always as responsive as Samuel. Sometimes I am so tired I ask God to let me sleep. In the morning I’m always sorry I did that. Sometimes I listen but don’t get up to write down what He says. In the morning I’m sorry. If I get going too soon in the morning I find I can’t remember what He said to me. Listening is a learning process. I’ve seen (and at times I was guilty of being one) parents not hearing their children trying to say something to them. We are good at tuning out. How do we develop sensitive spiritual ears so we can hear any time God chooses to speak to us? First we must be believers. That is we must have accepted His only Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and as the Lord of our life. Then we must immerse ourselves in the written Word of God – the Holy Bible. God never says anything that contradicts what He’s had men record in His written Word. Then we must desire to hear Him. Many don’t want to hear what God has to say to them. He will not tell us to do anything He hasn’t given us the ability and the desire to do. He will not tell us how terrible we are. He loves us. He loves us so much He allowed His Son, Jesus to walk as we walk on this earth to demonstrate how God designed us to live. Ask the Holy Spirit within you to enable you to hear God at any time He chooses to speak. Then, be sure to respond. Let us say as Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”