"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Mathew 5:10-12)
I know what you're thinking; you're thinking:
"Wait a minute! Hold your horses! I want to grow in Christ-like character, but suffering persecution? Is THAT part of what I signed up for?? I really didn't count on THAT being part of the package!"
Sooooo, the answer to your question is
Yes! If you develop the attitudes we've been talking about in the Beatitudes of Mathew 5:1-9, then the end result will most assuredly be to suffer persecution.
Why?
Well, the truth is, that as you succeed in becoming more holy in character, the powers of darkness will know that you are succeeding in furthering God's kingdom, and THAT will cause Satan and his angels to bring into your life situations of suffering.
HOWEVER, Satan does this only at God’s permission and within God’s appointed limits.
This is made clear in Daniel 2:20:
“Daniel answered and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.’”
And Daniel 4:17, “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
So where does all that leave us Christians today?
"For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).
“For this is commendable, if because of conscience towards God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully” (1 Peter 2:19).
And to drive this truth even farther, those aren't the only places in the Bible that God promises you "the blessing" of suffering persecution. Jesus continues this assurance in John 15:20: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”
And in 2 Timothy 3:12, the promise is spelled out again: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
You say: "Well, why doesn't God stop me from being persecuted?"
The answer to that is simple. The Church thrives in the midst of persecution, and it becomes packed out with fair-weather Christians when it is NOT suffering persecution.
Moreover, Christians are called to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
We are called to reflect the attitudes in the Beatitudes EVEN WHEN we find ourselves in the midst of suffering persecution for the sake of Christ.
Yes, Christians are to live as examples of Christ's character even under difficult circumstances. Paul told us this when he addressed the followers of Jesus who suffered in his day:
“And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe”
(1 Thessalonians 1:6-7).
How should a Christian feel about suffering for God’s Kingdom?
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
(Hebrews 12:2)
Sooooooo, are you looking forward to suffering persecution?
Probably not. I know I'm not, but if Jesus promised that my sufferings can't even compare to my eternal reward, I'm choosing to believe Him. He can see the big picture, the whole picture, even though I can't.
Oh, Lord, apart from You I can do nothing. Thank You for being the Author and Finisher of my faith.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
The Door - by Stephanie McFadden
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.... If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:7, 9 (ESV)
Ahhhh... the Door. They’re ‘things’ that can be opened and closed for a variety of reasons. They’re made of a variety of materials. They can be different shapes/sizes/colors. They consist of different mechanisms/hinges depending on its implied functions.
Physically, the refrigerator door keeps the cold air in and the warm air out. You close the door when using the bathroom for privacy. You open the door when your guests arrive to let them inside. You shut the doors of the kid’s messy room or the pantry door to hide clutter.
Doors can also be symbolic: The phrase “Behind closed doors” can be implied for privacy, intimacy, secrecy. The phrase “opening new doors” means showing a way of access or opportunity. The phrase “when one door closes...another one opens” denotes an end, a change and a new beginning.
Either physically or symbolically, the door is a barrier separating two sides.
It wasn’t until our visit to the Ark Encounter, that I really started thinking about how God uses a ‘door’ in the bible to symbolize the division between life and death.
In the book of Genesis, God instructs Noah to build an ark with one door. Noah, his family, and all the animals entered the ark through that one door to be saved from the flood. Inside the ark door, were the people who found favor in the eyes of the Lord; outside the door was the wickedness of the world followed by total destruction. The door kept those whom obeyed God safe.
In Exodus 12:22-23, Moses relays God’s message to the people: to keep their family safe from the last plague in Egypt, He told them to paint the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the doorframes of their homes. Inside the doors were God’s people; outside the doors was death. The blood on the door kept those whom chose to obey God’s word free from harm.
In John 10 (and in the other gospels), Jesus tells the Pharisees that He IS the door- he’s the barrier between life and death. Since death is the penalty for sin, He would willingly die for us because He knew His blood was/is the only blood that could be shed to cover our sins. He knew He was the only way to eternal life.
Just before Jesus’ last breath, the curtain (the door!) of the temple was torn in half- this physical door was removed to symbolize that we are once again allowed to have a personal relationship with God. We were allowed in, we were allowed an eternal life.
When Jesus died, his body was placed in a tomb. The stone door was shut. However, when the stone was moved, opening the tomb- it was discovered Jesus rose from the dead and returned to Heaven. Inside the tomb was death, but now the stone (the door) was no longer holding death in- There was life on the other side.
Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV
Jesus is the ONLY entrance to an eternal life with God. He is our one door to salvation- the door separating eternal life from eternal death. All we have to do is ask for His forgiveness and trust in Him and he’ll let us come inside.
The question is.... what side of the Door are you on?
John 10:7, 9 (ESV)
Ahhhh... the Door. They’re ‘things’ that can be opened and closed for a variety of reasons. They’re made of a variety of materials. They can be different shapes/sizes/colors. They consist of different mechanisms/hinges depending on its implied functions.
Physically, the refrigerator door keeps the cold air in and the warm air out. You close the door when using the bathroom for privacy. You open the door when your guests arrive to let them inside. You shut the doors of the kid’s messy room or the pantry door to hide clutter.
Doors can also be symbolic: The phrase “Behind closed doors” can be implied for privacy, intimacy, secrecy. The phrase “opening new doors” means showing a way of access or opportunity. The phrase “when one door closes...another one opens” denotes an end, a change and a new beginning.
Either physically or symbolically, the door is a barrier separating two sides.
It wasn’t until our visit to the Ark Encounter, that I really started thinking about how God uses a ‘door’ in the bible to symbolize the division between life and death.
In the book of Genesis, God instructs Noah to build an ark with one door. Noah, his family, and all the animals entered the ark through that one door to be saved from the flood. Inside the ark door, were the people who found favor in the eyes of the Lord; outside the door was the wickedness of the world followed by total destruction. The door kept those whom obeyed God safe.
In Exodus 12:22-23, Moses relays God’s message to the people: to keep their family safe from the last plague in Egypt, He told them to paint the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the doorframes of their homes. Inside the doors were God’s people; outside the doors was death. The blood on the door kept those whom chose to obey God’s word free from harm.
In John 10 (and in the other gospels), Jesus tells the Pharisees that He IS the door- he’s the barrier between life and death. Since death is the penalty for sin, He would willingly die for us because He knew His blood was/is the only blood that could be shed to cover our sins. He knew He was the only way to eternal life.
Just before Jesus’ last breath, the curtain (the door!) of the temple was torn in half- this physical door was removed to symbolize that we are once again allowed to have a personal relationship with God. We were allowed in, we were allowed an eternal life.
When Jesus died, his body was placed in a tomb. The stone door was shut. However, when the stone was moved, opening the tomb- it was discovered Jesus rose from the dead and returned to Heaven. Inside the tomb was death, but now the stone (the door) was no longer holding death in- There was life on the other side.
Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV
Jesus is the ONLY entrance to an eternal life with God. He is our one door to salvation- the door separating eternal life from eternal death. All we have to do is ask for His forgiveness and trust in Him and he’ll let us come inside.
The question is.... what side of the Door are you on?
Monday, April 24, 2017
Respect
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
1 Peter 2:16-17
It's almost awkward to read this at first. It was written almost 2,000 years ago, yet it almost looks like it could start with "Americans."
How relevant is this for us today? Look around.
You see people all over facebook lashing out and disrespecting our leadership, whether it is our job, our city, our state, our country, etc....people are trashing our leadership. When questioned, what do they say? They justify their actions by simply saying "I have a right to free speech."
Is this the way God wants us to live? When we trash our leadership on social media, is that what God wants? After you're done writing a novel on facebook publicly destroying and disrespecting someone in authority, do you really think God is looking down on you saying: "good job! you got that one right!!" No!!!!
Even though I really don't think it is necessary, I'm going to paraphrase this verse just a little bit to help us understand it better in our culture:
Americans, live as free people, but don't use your freedom of speech as an excuse to go onto facebook or go out into the streets to disrespect the authority that God has allowed to be in those positions. Instead, show respect to your leaders, support other believers, fear God, and honor your president.
Today, before we think about logging into social media to say something that cuts someone else down, or disrespects our leaders, let's remember what the Bible says here, and let's remember that our leaders are in place because God allowed them to be in place. Therefore, for us to show disrespect to our leadership is to disrespect God Himself.
1 Peter 2:16-17
It's almost awkward to read this at first. It was written almost 2,000 years ago, yet it almost looks like it could start with "Americans."
How relevant is this for us today? Look around.
You see people all over facebook lashing out and disrespecting our leadership, whether it is our job, our city, our state, our country, etc....people are trashing our leadership. When questioned, what do they say? They justify their actions by simply saying "I have a right to free speech."
Is this the way God wants us to live? When we trash our leadership on social media, is that what God wants? After you're done writing a novel on facebook publicly destroying and disrespecting someone in authority, do you really think God is looking down on you saying: "good job! you got that one right!!" No!!!!
Even though I really don't think it is necessary, I'm going to paraphrase this verse just a little bit to help us understand it better in our culture:
Americans, live as free people, but don't use your freedom of speech as an excuse to go onto facebook or go out into the streets to disrespect the authority that God has allowed to be in those positions. Instead, show respect to your leaders, support other believers, fear God, and honor your president.
Today, before we think about logging into social media to say something that cuts someone else down, or disrespects our leaders, let's remember what the Bible says here, and let's remember that our leaders are in place because God allowed them to be in place. Therefore, for us to show disrespect to our leadership is to disrespect God Himself.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Shalom! - by Carol McFadden
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
(Mathew 5:9)
Peacemakers (the Greek word here is "eirenopoios") means to MAKE peace.
The classical Greek word for peacemaker actually means "ambassador."
However, the Hebrew emphasis for peacemaker in Mathew 5:9 refers to the peace that the Jewish people wished upon each other when they greeted each other with the Hebrew word "shalom. "
"Shalom" refers to an inner completeness and tranquility brought on by sharing in God's countenance and protection.
According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, "shalom" means “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.” It is actually translated “success.”
But whose success?
Shalom refers not only to a successful peace between individuals or nations, but it FIRSTLY refers to a successful peace "within an individual."
But how can an individual gain that kind of peace and success?
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Before we can prosper as God's ambassadors bringing peace between two individuals or between two nations, we have to FIRST be at peace with ourselves which cannot happen until we are at peace with the Lord, a peace established in a relationship with Him that is grounded IN HIS WORD.
(Romans 5:10))
For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
JESUS is:
The Word (John 1:1)
and
The Way, The Truth and The Life (John 14:6).
FIRST comes reconciliation with God.
SECOND comes a relationship with God.
Both are established through the truth of God's Word, and both result in genuine peace.
We cannot negotiate a genuine peace between two people or between two nations without first being individually reconciled to God.
There is a saying that originated during the Renaissance that I heard a lot growing up in the 1950's.
"Don't put the cart before the horse."
Don't put external peace ahead of internal peace. If you do, friendships will collapse, nations will soon be at war again and you'll end up with a broken down cart and a runaway horse.
Shalom!
for they will be called children of God.
(Mathew 5:9)
Peacemakers (the Greek word here is "eirenopoios") means to MAKE peace.
The classical Greek word for peacemaker actually means "ambassador."
However, the Hebrew emphasis for peacemaker in Mathew 5:9 refers to the peace that the Jewish people wished upon each other when they greeted each other with the Hebrew word "shalom. "
"Shalom" refers to an inner completeness and tranquility brought on by sharing in God's countenance and protection.
According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, "shalom" means “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.” It is actually translated “success.”
But whose success?
Shalom refers not only to a successful peace between individuals or nations, but it FIRSTLY refers to a successful peace "within an individual."
But how can an individual gain that kind of peace and success?
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Before we can prosper as God's ambassadors bringing peace between two individuals or between two nations, we have to FIRST be at peace with ourselves which cannot happen until we are at peace with the Lord, a peace established in a relationship with Him that is grounded IN HIS WORD.
(Romans 5:10))
For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
JESUS is:
The Word (John 1:1)
and
The Way, The Truth and The Life (John 14:6).
FIRST comes reconciliation with God.
SECOND comes a relationship with God.
Both are established through the truth of God's Word, and both result in genuine peace.
We cannot negotiate a genuine peace between two people or between two nations without first being individually reconciled to God.
There is a saying that originated during the Renaissance that I heard a lot growing up in the 1950's.
"Don't put the cart before the horse."
Don't put external peace ahead of internal peace. If you do, friendships will collapse, nations will soon be at war again and you'll end up with a broken down cart and a runaway horse.
Shalom!
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Build - by Stephanie McFadden
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:4-8 NIV
My confession this week: I. Love. Legos. They’re amazing toys- sturdy, well-manufactured, colorful, fun, non-screen-time entertainment. They are also educational: improving hand-eye development, fine motor skills, logic, and other problem-solving challenges.
However: a Lego brick by itself is kinda boring. Think about it. What can you do with just this piece?
Answer? Not much!
but.... add a few more pieces and look what you can make: layered pyramids with stairs
Let’s add some more: a car with moving pieces!
And.. Let’s add a LOT more legos to make life-sized statues:
The red lego brick by itself is just a brick. It’s only when various pieces come together that you can see the real beauiy of this toy: If you have a few more blocks, you can create a step pyramid. If you take that single red piece and add a things like a windshield, roof, “lights”, doors, steering wheel, seat and wheels, your can build a great car! If you take that single red piece and join it with thousands of pieces of all shapes, colors and sizes, you can form a huge statue, like a picture right out of a movie. Isn’t it incredible that a single little block can join together to form such a variety of amazing things?
In a way, we are a single Lego block. We are part of God’s brand new lego set- we’re a pile of unassembled blocks of different shapes, sizes and colors. Not one brick is more or less important than another- He knows that all the pieces are needed to make a finished product. We are designed to work together – He holds the instuction book. He gave us the the ability to lock and join together with other “blocks” to form His beauiful masterpiece...one piece at a time, step by step.
So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
Romans 12: 4-6 Message
If we are Legos-- It doesn’t matter if you are a 4x4 red brick, a 1x6 blue brick, or a clear window block- we are all important in the eyes of God. Use the talents God gave you and join with others to build up our families, our communities, our churches, our world. Together, let’s build up the body of Christ. Let’s team up and work together for a common goal- for the glory of God.
Romans 12:4-8 NIV
My confession this week: I. Love. Legos. They’re amazing toys- sturdy, well-manufactured, colorful, fun, non-screen-time entertainment. They are also educational: improving hand-eye development, fine motor skills, logic, and other problem-solving challenges.
However: a Lego brick by itself is kinda boring. Think about it. What can you do with just this piece?
Answer? Not much!
but.... add a few more pieces and look what you can make: layered pyramids with stairs
Let’s add some more: a car with moving pieces!
And.. Let’s add a LOT more legos to make life-sized statues:
The red lego brick by itself is just a brick. It’s only when various pieces come together that you can see the real beauiy of this toy: If you have a few more blocks, you can create a step pyramid. If you take that single red piece and add a things like a windshield, roof, “lights”, doors, steering wheel, seat and wheels, your can build a great car! If you take that single red piece and join it with thousands of pieces of all shapes, colors and sizes, you can form a huge statue, like a picture right out of a movie. Isn’t it incredible that a single little block can join together to form such a variety of amazing things?
In a way, we are a single Lego block. We are part of God’s brand new lego set- we’re a pile of unassembled blocks of different shapes, sizes and colors. Not one brick is more or less important than another- He knows that all the pieces are needed to make a finished product. We are designed to work together – He holds the instuction book. He gave us the the ability to lock and join together with other “blocks” to form His beauiful masterpiece...one piece at a time, step by step.
So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
Romans 12: 4-6 Message
If we are Legos-- It doesn’t matter if you are a 4x4 red brick, a 1x6 blue brick, or a clear window block- we are all important in the eyes of God. Use the talents God gave you and join with others to build up our families, our communities, our churches, our world. Together, let’s build up the body of Christ. Let’s team up and work together for a common goal- for the glory of God.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
The Law
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Romans 3:19-20
There are 2 interesting points being made in these 2 verses:
- Every one of us has failed under the law of Moses. None of us are innocent, therefore none of us are better than anyone else. We have all failed, and the punishment for our failure is death.
Many of us know and understand this. This is why Jesus had to die on the cross. He died so that we would not have to die for our sins, and we can have the opportunity to live forever with Him, if we surrender our life to Him.
- One of the reasons that it's still very important for us to understand the law of Moses is so that we are aware that we have actually failed.
This is a very important point. How many people in the world don't even realize that they need saving? I think many would agree that, if someone doesn't know they are in trouble, they will have no desire to be helped.
Most people in the world do not realize that they are subject to the laws of God, as written in the Ten Commandments. That is not just a nice children's story. That is the law of God. If we do not recognize that as the law of God, then we will not understand that we have failed that law, and are on our way to an eternal death separated from God.
Many today just say: "I'm a good person. I give to the church. I'm nice to people. As long as I try to be a good person, I'm sure I'll be just fine."
Many people do not realize the danger with living in this way. No matter how good we are, or how many nice things we do, or how hard we try, we have still failed, and if we do not recognize that we have failed based on the ten commandments, we will not realize that we even need something to save us from an eternal death!
Today, let's make sure we understand the datum. Let's make sure we fully understand that the law of God, written down by Moses, still exists today, and that the punishment for disobeying even 1 of those laws just 1 time in our life results in eternal death separated from God in hell.
Once we have a full understanding of the consequences of this, and we let it truly sink in, there will be a natural understanding for the significance of Jesus coming to this earth, perfect, and dying a horrible death so that we don't have to.
Romans 3:19-20
There are 2 interesting points being made in these 2 verses:
- Every one of us has failed under the law of Moses. None of us are innocent, therefore none of us are better than anyone else. We have all failed, and the punishment for our failure is death.
Many of us know and understand this. This is why Jesus had to die on the cross. He died so that we would not have to die for our sins, and we can have the opportunity to live forever with Him, if we surrender our life to Him.
- One of the reasons that it's still very important for us to understand the law of Moses is so that we are aware that we have actually failed.
This is a very important point. How many people in the world don't even realize that they need saving? I think many would agree that, if someone doesn't know they are in trouble, they will have no desire to be helped.
Most people in the world do not realize that they are subject to the laws of God, as written in the Ten Commandments. That is not just a nice children's story. That is the law of God. If we do not recognize that as the law of God, then we will not understand that we have failed that law, and are on our way to an eternal death separated from God.
Many today just say: "I'm a good person. I give to the church. I'm nice to people. As long as I try to be a good person, I'm sure I'll be just fine."
Many people do not realize the danger with living in this way. No matter how good we are, or how many nice things we do, or how hard we try, we have still failed, and if we do not recognize that we have failed based on the ten commandments, we will not realize that we even need something to save us from an eternal death!
Today, let's make sure we understand the datum. Let's make sure we fully understand that the law of God, written down by Moses, still exists today, and that the punishment for disobeying even 1 of those laws just 1 time in our life results in eternal death separated from God in hell.
Once we have a full understanding of the consequences of this, and we let it truly sink in, there will be a natural understanding for the significance of Jesus coming to this earth, perfect, and dying a horrible death so that we don't have to.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Suit Up! - by Stephanie McFadden
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ... against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms ... Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:11-12, 16-18 NIV
This past weekend, Rick and I took the kids and the new camper from our home in Michigan down to Kentucky to see the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. Let’s just say that was an... um... adventure.
During the course of the weekend, we had quite a few... errr...disturbances-in-the-
During the course of the weekend, we had quite a few... errr...disturbances-in-the-
As the weekend was unfolding, I couldn’t help to think of the irony: we wanted a God/biblical-based vacation...and yet this was shaping up to be a difficult trip- This was not the vacation I planned. Why were our good intentions shaping up to be bad memories?
I think there are a couple of possible explanations: Maybe we were just having a string of bad luck-Things happen: this was a result of a couple of dumb choices and a few “oopsies” along the way...or Maybe God gave us a few ‘bumps’ in our journey to save us from some more serious ‘mountains’ in our path. ...or maybe Satan was throwing us a couple of his ‘flaming arrows’ to distract us from God.
The bible tells us that our largest battles will be against Satan. We know that Satan will lose in the end, but we also know he’s not going down without a fight. The only way we can prepare to stand against evil is to be fully equip ourselves with all the tools God gives us: The Armor of God- His Truth, His Love, His peace, our faith, our salvation—His word. Once again, knowledge is power.
I love The Message version of these verses:
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Ephesians 6:13-18 MSG
With this trip, we wanted to grow our knowledge of the Bible and strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. We were taking our children, the next generation of Christians, and giving them a tangible thing to remember for (hopefully) years to come. This trip could be starting points of discussions between Rick and I, our kids, and even these devotionals for weeks to come. We wanted to strengthen our family by spending time together. Grow together, learn together, pray together. I have to imagine the devil wasn’t thrilled with us taking that additional step to grow our relationship with Jesus. But.... this weekend, Satan didn’t win. Satan will never win.
When evil (no matter how large or small) is attacking, we need to remember to keep the focus on God and rely on His tools: Grab your shield, your belt, your breastplate, your helmet, your sword, and your boots.... by golly, we’re gonna need it all! Let’s make sure to keep growing in our faith so we can add chains and plates to our Godly Armor. Let’s make our faith is so strong that Satan’s arrows cannot get through- let’s extinguish those flames and make them ineffective. Let’s study God’s word, pray, and strengthen our relationship with Jesus. Let’s Suit Up!
Monday, April 10, 2017
What do you see?
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Mathew 5:8)
I have a very good friend whose mother always saw the best in people. If someone would steal from her, or jip her or talk badly about her, she would automatically give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the best intentions by their actions or words rather than the worst intentions. In fact, "the worst intentions" never even took up space in her mind or heart.
There were folks in this mother's family who were at odds with other present or previous family members (divorce and such), yet, even if someone's malicious words would berate her, this mother would continue to invite those cut-off-from-the-family individuals to her home get togethers.
This lady saw the goodness of God in others. She chose to see it in everything and in everyone. She never harbored bitterness or responded with malice. She was patient and kind, not boastful or envious or proud. She just desired to see God's goodness all around her and within the intentions of everyone.
She wasn't blind. She just desired to see God's goodness instead of seeing Satan's evil. This is what it takes to be pure in heart.
Notice the Beatitudes that "pure in heart" follow after:
poor in spirit (realizing one's bankrupt condition before a holy God)
mournful (and sober minded) over one's own depravity
meek, willing to give up one's rights and expectations to the Lord
hungering and thirsting after the "rightwiseness" of God
having an attitude of mercy and forgiveness.
These previous attitudes are all necessary to have a pure heart, to be able to "see God" within a "crooked and perverse generation" (Philippians 2:15).
The pure in heart will spontaneously see the beauty of nature, the inward light, the moral order of the world, the awesome and living and eternal truths of God's Word.
They will exonerate others as they behold the life and teaching of Christ's hope and love for people, which includes everyone because Christ died for all.
I mean - like - WOW!
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Mathew 5:8)
What are we going to see today?
I have a very good friend whose mother always saw the best in people. If someone would steal from her, or jip her or talk badly about her, she would automatically give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the best intentions by their actions or words rather than the worst intentions. In fact, "the worst intentions" never even took up space in her mind or heart.
There were folks in this mother's family who were at odds with other present or previous family members (divorce and such), yet, even if someone's malicious words would berate her, this mother would continue to invite those cut-off-from-the-family individuals to her home get togethers.
This lady saw the goodness of God in others. She chose to see it in everything and in everyone. She never harbored bitterness or responded with malice. She was patient and kind, not boastful or envious or proud. She just desired to see God's goodness all around her and within the intentions of everyone.
She wasn't blind. She just desired to see God's goodness instead of seeing Satan's evil. This is what it takes to be pure in heart.
Notice the Beatitudes that "pure in heart" follow after:
poor in spirit (realizing one's bankrupt condition before a holy God)
mournful (and sober minded) over one's own depravity
meek, willing to give up one's rights and expectations to the Lord
hungering and thirsting after the "rightwiseness" of God
having an attitude of mercy and forgiveness.
These previous attitudes are all necessary to have a pure heart, to be able to "see God" within a "crooked and perverse generation" (Philippians 2:15).
The pure in heart will spontaneously see the beauty of nature, the inward light, the moral order of the world, the awesome and living and eternal truths of God's Word.
They will exonerate others as they behold the life and teaching of Christ's hope and love for people, which includes everyone because Christ died for all.
I mean - like - WOW!
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Mathew 5:8)
What are we going to see today?
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Effective and Productive
His divine power has given us everything we need for a Godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
2 Peter 1: 3-9
I don't know about you, but when I read this, I already feel hopeless, ha.
Goodness? Maybe a little i guess.
Knowledge? Sure, I've been trained well growing up.
Self-Control? I'm out!
I haven't even made it to perseverence, Godliness, mutual affection and love.
It's amazing how much information is in these few verses. In this passage, God talks through the steps that we need to take in order to live a Godly, effective and productive life. We start with goodness, and then knowledge. I know many to don't get much past that.
What I find amazing here is that there are 2 full steps between knowledge and Godliness. I know many people who feel like they already have it all together, and are better than others around them, because they have some knowledge of the Bible and of God, yet they still lack true Godliness. How do we get from knowledge to Godliness? Self-control and perseverence.
Today, let's read through and this passage a few times, and let it speak to us each individually. Then let's ask God where we are in these steps, and where we need Him to help work on us.
Finally, let's ask him for the strength to work on the specific area today that is needed in our lives, so that one day, we can get all the way to the end, and learn how to love the way God does.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
2 Peter 1: 3-9
I don't know about you, but when I read this, I already feel hopeless, ha.
Goodness? Maybe a little i guess.
Knowledge? Sure, I've been trained well growing up.
Self-Control? I'm out!
I haven't even made it to perseverence, Godliness, mutual affection and love.
It's amazing how much information is in these few verses. In this passage, God talks through the steps that we need to take in order to live a Godly, effective and productive life. We start with goodness, and then knowledge. I know many to don't get much past that.
What I find amazing here is that there are 2 full steps between knowledge and Godliness. I know many people who feel like they already have it all together, and are better than others around them, because they have some knowledge of the Bible and of God, yet they still lack true Godliness. How do we get from knowledge to Godliness? Self-control and perseverence.
Today, let's read through and this passage a few times, and let it speak to us each individually. Then let's ask God where we are in these steps, and where we need Him to help work on us.
Finally, let's ask him for the strength to work on the specific area today that is needed in our lives, so that one day, we can get all the way to the end, and learn how to love the way God does.
Monday, April 3, 2017
The Test
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Genesis 2:2
How much do we love God? We say we love Him. We say He is our biggest priority. Many of us even make the familiar statement: God, Family, Country. Do we really mean that?
Steph makes fun of me all the time because she knows I love to snowmobile. I made her sign a contract agreeing that she was marrying a snowmobiler before I gave her the engagement right. To this day, she jokes that snowmobiling comes first in my life, and then family.
The reality is that's not true at all. I do love snowmobiling. I love all the toys that I have, but the reality is that it's all just "stuff." When I was younger, i was just as happy without all this stuff, so if I lose it one day, I'll just start over again, and one day I'll probably have "stuff" again. It really isn't that important to me.
Honestly, I don't think I would say that about my family though. I love my wife and kids. I hang onto my wife and kids very tightly. I could not imagine anything happening to them. I'm very protective and I'm always afraid for them.
In fact, if I'm honest, my biggest fear is that God will take some or all of my family away from me, possibly just to test me to see if I would hang onto them above Him. Could you? Is your family more important that God?
In this story, God tested Abraham to see if Abraham's son was more important to him that God. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son to God as an offering. Could you have done this if God asked you? Is God more important than your son? If I'm honest, I'm not sure if I could do it.
Aren't you grateful we live in this culture where the probability of God asking us to do something like this is almost zero? whew!!! I know I am grateful for that!
But, today, what is it that we are hanging onto that is taking the place of God as number 1 in our life? Is it a certain friend that we know we shouldn't be hanging out with? Is it alcohol that we know is causing a distraction in our life? Is it a certain TV show, or TV in general?
What about facebook? are we spending so much time on facebook that it's replacing God as number 1 in our life? think about it!
Today, let's think on this. Let's think about what we spend our time doing each day. Let's study and determine where our priorities are at in this life. Let's make sure there isn't another priority in this life that is taking the place of God.
Like with Abraham, God may test us one day to be sure that something else isn't taking His place in our life.
Would you pass the test?
Genesis 2:2
How much do we love God? We say we love Him. We say He is our biggest priority. Many of us even make the familiar statement: God, Family, Country. Do we really mean that?
Steph makes fun of me all the time because she knows I love to snowmobile. I made her sign a contract agreeing that she was marrying a snowmobiler before I gave her the engagement right. To this day, she jokes that snowmobiling comes first in my life, and then family.
The reality is that's not true at all. I do love snowmobiling. I love all the toys that I have, but the reality is that it's all just "stuff." When I was younger, i was just as happy without all this stuff, so if I lose it one day, I'll just start over again, and one day I'll probably have "stuff" again. It really isn't that important to me.
Honestly, I don't think I would say that about my family though. I love my wife and kids. I hang onto my wife and kids very tightly. I could not imagine anything happening to them. I'm very protective and I'm always afraid for them.
In fact, if I'm honest, my biggest fear is that God will take some or all of my family away from me, possibly just to test me to see if I would hang onto them above Him. Could you? Is your family more important that God?
In this story, God tested Abraham to see if Abraham's son was more important to him that God. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son to God as an offering. Could you have done this if God asked you? Is God more important than your son? If I'm honest, I'm not sure if I could do it.
Aren't you grateful we live in this culture where the probability of God asking us to do something like this is almost zero? whew!!! I know I am grateful for that!
But, today, what is it that we are hanging onto that is taking the place of God as number 1 in our life? Is it a certain friend that we know we shouldn't be hanging out with? Is it alcohol that we know is causing a distraction in our life? Is it a certain TV show, or TV in general?
What about facebook? are we spending so much time on facebook that it's replacing God as number 1 in our life? think about it!
Today, let's think on this. Let's think about what we spend our time doing each day. Let's study and determine where our priorities are at in this life. Let's make sure there isn't another priority in this life that is taking the place of God.
Like with Abraham, God may test us one day to be sure that something else isn't taking His place in our life.
Would you pass the test?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)