“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.” Psalm, 139:1
I have to confess that I have been preoccupied this year with wedding plans. My daughter is getting married and I have been obsessed with how much things cost. It is frustrating to me because I am not very trusting when it comes to money and frankly every time a dollar is spent I cringe because I am exposed and I don’t know how I will make enough to afford paying the monthly bills and the wedding on top of it. I know this sounds normal to most of you but to me this is a huge deal and even though God is working in this wedding making everything smooth and providing the resources, I don’t trust God enough to stop worrying.
Am I being unreasonable here or am I just human? I find comfort in Psalm 139, because when I read it I know God knows exactly how I will react to every expenditure and new requirement even before I hear of it. He knows that I don’t trust Him and he knows how much monetary issues worry me, and He loves me just the same! I wouldn’t love me but I am thankful He does!
My prayer. Father, thank you that your word is true. Thank you that you know us better than we know ourselves and that you love us when we are not very lovable. I pray Father for your peace and for an expansion of my trust in you in this difficult financial time. I thank you that you would provide me with the resources to give my daughter the kind of wedding that she wants. I thank you that my wife and I are on the same page as we plan the budget and carry out the spending and planning for this event. Above all Lord, thank you that my daughter and her fiancée are happy and that they are drawing closer to you as they open the next chapter of their lives together. Father use me to be a godly influence on Chuck and Dawn and continue to work out all of our salvation, one day at a time as we walk more closely with you. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Test the Spirits
"...do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out in the world." 1 John 4:1
John warns us that there are many false prophets and deceivers who will try to lead us astray. Jude warns too in his letter, that "certain men have secretly slipped in" among us, to steal the faith. Many of them are those we read, watch on television , and see in the pulpits of our churches. They make so much noise, bombarding our senses trying to draw us toward their new idea. They demand our attention with a new melody, a clever lyric, an attractive model or a clever sales pitch. How can we discern the good messages from the bad?
John tells us that we must remain in Christ and be diligent for the deceivers went out from the believers. That is the deceivers know the word of God so we too must have a thorough knowledge so that they cannot trick us into believing a lie or half truth. John says, "It is the man who denies Jesus is Christ," that is the deceiver. John reminds us that what we have heard from the beginning (from Christ himself) is the truth and only that word is true. Those who came after him who did not remain true to what Jesus spoke for their own personal gain are the deceivers. They have existed through the centuries spreading their deeds until they have become false doctrine. They are the root of denominational splits within the body of Christ and their confusion has driven many from the Church and has given rise to atheism and allowed other religions to deceive even more.
It is incumbent upon all of us to understand the word of God and not substitute denominational doctrine for the truth found in Jesus Christ. We must walk daily with our Father and be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we are not fooled by the next new thing. There is coming a day when the deception will be more than a confessional booth or fast talking televangelist looking for a quick buck. If we can be deceived by religion or a feel-good preacher, we can certainly be fooled by Satan himself and his appointed messengers. Understanding the truth is a matter of eternal life or death, we must take it seriously!
My prayer. Father open our eyes that we be not deceived by things we want to hear. Open our hearts to your word and only your word as our source of strength and truth. Help us to be doers of your word and guard us against the deceivers that are trying to lead us astray. We ask this in the mighty name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen!
John warns us that there are many false prophets and deceivers who will try to lead us astray. Jude warns too in his letter, that "certain men have secretly slipped in" among us, to steal the faith. Many of them are those we read, watch on television , and see in the pulpits of our churches. They make so much noise, bombarding our senses trying to draw us toward their new idea. They demand our attention with a new melody, a clever lyric, an attractive model or a clever sales pitch. How can we discern the good messages from the bad?
John tells us that we must remain in Christ and be diligent for the deceivers went out from the believers. That is the deceivers know the word of God so we too must have a thorough knowledge so that they cannot trick us into believing a lie or half truth. John says, "It is the man who denies Jesus is Christ," that is the deceiver. John reminds us that what we have heard from the beginning (from Christ himself) is the truth and only that word is true. Those who came after him who did not remain true to what Jesus spoke for their own personal gain are the deceivers. They have existed through the centuries spreading their deeds until they have become false doctrine. They are the root of denominational splits within the body of Christ and their confusion has driven many from the Church and has given rise to atheism and allowed other religions to deceive even more.
It is incumbent upon all of us to understand the word of God and not substitute denominational doctrine for the truth found in Jesus Christ. We must walk daily with our Father and be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we are not fooled by the next new thing. There is coming a day when the deception will be more than a confessional booth or fast talking televangelist looking for a quick buck. If we can be deceived by religion or a feel-good preacher, we can certainly be fooled by Satan himself and his appointed messengers. Understanding the truth is a matter of eternal life or death, we must take it seriously!
My prayer. Father open our eyes that we be not deceived by things we want to hear. Open our hearts to your word and only your word as our source of strength and truth. Help us to be doers of your word and guard us against the deceivers that are trying to lead us astray. We ask this in the mighty name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Living in Christ
"But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 1John 2:5-6
Happy New Year. Last year I started this blog and didn't give it the daily treatment that the name implies. In fact this is my eightieth post so you can see that I made a post on average about every four days. Hardly, what I set out to do. As I reflected on the posts, they did represent how I struggle with myself to meet God on his terms rather than my own. God wants our undivided attention and frankly, most of the time, we are too busy for him. If we are truly believers and have Christ dwelling on the inside of us as the word says, we must heed the words of the apostle John, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."
In 2009, I plan to take stock in this verse and examine and fix where I fall short of walking like Jesus did. Jesus had a boldness about him and his "Father's business," that we as Christians don't have. We are ineffective most of the time in our ability to share the gospel with non-believers. Not only do we not have that boldness, but most of us cannot even tell a non-beleiver who God is and why we believe Jesus was a real person. I believe homosexuality and now atheism have been able to gain acceptance in our community because we have been ineffective in spreading the love and knowledge of Christ to a world hungry for His message of love and hope. We have to do better.
My prayer in 2009 is to grow in my love for God that I would walk as boldly as Jesus and do his Father's business in the workplace, at church, in the grocery store, inside my home and amongst my family and friends. Wherever I have a sphere of influence, I want others I meet to see Jesus Christ in me. I believe the greatest thing that can happen to me in 2009 is to have someone stop and ask me, what is different about you? That will be my queue to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ!
My prayer. Father, please forgive me for living a mediocre and unproductive "life in Christ." I understand that you are trying to tell all of us that if Christ truly dwells inside of us we ought to act like Jesus not our former sinful selves. Grant me Father the insight to see where I fall short and shore up my weakness with your Love and forgiveness. Help me to better put my talents to good use in moving the Kingdom forward as we wait patiently for your return. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to write this blog in the freedom of the United States of America and I ask that you continue to pour out your blessings on this great country even though at times we have failed to live like you demand us to. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!
Happy New Year. Last year I started this blog and didn't give it the daily treatment that the name implies. In fact this is my eightieth post so you can see that I made a post on average about every four days. Hardly, what I set out to do. As I reflected on the posts, they did represent how I struggle with myself to meet God on his terms rather than my own. God wants our undivided attention and frankly, most of the time, we are too busy for him. If we are truly believers and have Christ dwelling on the inside of us as the word says, we must heed the words of the apostle John, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."
In 2009, I plan to take stock in this verse and examine and fix where I fall short of walking like Jesus did. Jesus had a boldness about him and his "Father's business," that we as Christians don't have. We are ineffective most of the time in our ability to share the gospel with non-believers. Not only do we not have that boldness, but most of us cannot even tell a non-beleiver who God is and why we believe Jesus was a real person. I believe homosexuality and now atheism have been able to gain acceptance in our community because we have been ineffective in spreading the love and knowledge of Christ to a world hungry for His message of love and hope. We have to do better.
My prayer in 2009 is to grow in my love for God that I would walk as boldly as Jesus and do his Father's business in the workplace, at church, in the grocery store, inside my home and amongst my family and friends. Wherever I have a sphere of influence, I want others I meet to see Jesus Christ in me. I believe the greatest thing that can happen to me in 2009 is to have someone stop and ask me, what is different about you? That will be my queue to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ!
My prayer. Father, please forgive me for living a mediocre and unproductive "life in Christ." I understand that you are trying to tell all of us that if Christ truly dwells inside of us we ought to act like Jesus not our former sinful selves. Grant me Father the insight to see where I fall short and shore up my weakness with your Love and forgiveness. Help me to better put my talents to good use in moving the Kingdom forward as we wait patiently for your return. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to write this blog in the freedom of the United States of America and I ask that you continue to pour out your blessings on this great country even though at times we have failed to live like you demand us to. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!
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