God Is In Our Midst

 

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

This good news for us when things are going well and when things are not going well, God is right there with us.  He will rejoice with us in good times and He will quiet us with His love in tough times.  

God never leaves us alone, He is with us to celebrate and to comfort us.  His love for us is without end. 

So, do not be discouraged, take courage that when we pray He hears and even when we are too discouraged to pray, God still loves us and will look out for us.

God is in our midst.

Have Faith, Take Action

 

He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Ecclesiastes 11:4

Every time a farmer plants a seed, he is taking a risk. He is relying on rain and sun and weather so that he can harvest a crop and make a profit. If farmers did not have faith, they would not be farmers.

Life is a risky business. Choices we make don’t always turn out the way we think they will. Sometimes things are much better and sometimes they don’t go so well. And, sometimes when we think things have gone terribly wrong, it turns out that it was for the better in the long run.

Fear should not paralyze us. We know God is on our side and no matter what happens God is with us.

Have faith and take action.

Every Inch Of Us

 

Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7

God loves us. We are the apple of His eye. All through the scriptures God again and again speaks of His love for us. So valuable are we that He has numbered the hairs on our heads.

How much does God love us? God loves every inch of us.

God Wants You Back

 

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“Return to me, with all your heart,

And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

And rend your heart and not your garments.”

“Now return to the Lord your God,

For He is gracious and compassionate,

Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness….”

Joel 2:12-13

God never gave up on getting the Israelites back from the evil that overtook them. Again and again He sent Prophets to warn the Israelites of impending doom and to call them back to Him.

And, God never gives up on us. He wants us back and He sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem us. Jesus is the way, the truth and the light and He is the only way to God. Invite Jesus into your life today, and experience God’s love and forgiveness.

Do What You Do For The Glory Of God

 

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-10

I had a friend who was good-hearted and would do almost anything to help anyone, but he was a bit of a blowhard. He was not a big shot, but he acted like one. This put many people off and limited his ability to serve God.

Everybody wants to feel important, and if we hog all the glory, it diminishes people’s ability to see that we do what we do not for ourselves but because we love God and want to share His love with them.

I think this is why the Apostle Paul encourages us to be humble, like Jesus, and give God the glory.

God's Sons and Daughters

 

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God….

Romans 8: 14-16

When ask Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior, we are ushered into the family of God. God sent Jesus to rescue us from our sinful ways and to restore us to our right relationship with Him – that of His children. We are full partakers in God’s love and generosity.

We are not mere associates of God; we are His sons and daughters. 

November 6, 2013

Do The Right Thing

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James 4:17

It is never the wrong time to do the right thing.

Pray and take action.

 

Worse Than A Bloody Nose

 

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” 

Luke 6:27.

Sometimes people see Christians as an easy target. They use snide remarks, vandalize our work, or make fun of us. When they get desperate for a reaction they say things like: “You think you are better than everybody else.” They may physically come after us with a shove disguised as an accident or not.

We get as angry as anyone else when we are mistreated. The difference is that as Christians we have a calling, which is to win others to Christ. Dishing out bloody noses won’t fulfill this calling, but giving better than we get will.

Do good and pray for those who mistreat you.  It will hurt them worse than a bloody nose.

Be A Nonconformist

 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2.

Christians are the ultimate nonconformist. Our transformation allows us to be merciful to those who are tossed about by changing social norms and to show them the one who is good and acceptable and perfect, Jesus.

Be a nonconformist.

Ask And Be Forgiven

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16.

If we break the laws of man and get caught, we will be punished by man and we are subject to that earthly punishment. 

The good news is that if we come to God and ask for forgiveness, He forgives us. Jesus paid the full price for our sins. If we don’t feel forgiven, maybe it is because we are short changing ourselves when it comes to God’s mercy.

Now, ask for forgiveness and be forgiven.

 

God Will Not Abandon Us

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35, 37-39.

If there is a Bible verse which gives us the courage to say “so what” when things go wrong, this is it. 

Great or small, there is nothing in life that can remove us from the love of God. The Bible is full of stories of people who made mistakes, who God loved and redeemed. From Moses who argued with God that he could not lead the people of Israel to the promised land (Exodus 3-4) to the Apostle Paul who held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen (Acts 8:54-60). God has revealed His unchanging and compromising love. His desire is for us to declare Jesus to be Lord, Master and Savior of our lives, and to bask in His unconditional love.

Hallelujah!

Looking For You

 

What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!” In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Luke 15:8-10.

Several years ago, at a contemporary church I was attending, they baptized a young boy. They uncovered the baptismal tank, and a boy, accompanied by his older sister walked down into the water. The pastor asked the boy, “Do you accept Jesus as your Lord, Master and Savior?” 

The boy said, “Yes. I love Jesus.”

Then his sister baptized him by submerging him under the water. When the boy came up out of the water the congregation burst in to applause. That’s the way it is with Jesus, He is right there to cheer us on and welcome us.

Jesus is looking for you; come to Him.

Sundays Are Made For You

 

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” 

Mark 2:27

Many people don’t go to church because their employers require them to work on Sunday. Are they sinners for not going to Church? I think Jesus would say “no,” because they are striving to support themselves and their families, which is in itself another Biblical principle.

Sunday was made of us, and God trusts us to use the day wisely, which includes not neglecting things which we must do on that day. 

So, this Sunday do what you need to do, and know that God loves you. 

One God

 

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:4-6

One of the reasons we find peace in Christianity is that we are not busy trying to please one-hundred different gods and guess what it is that each might need from us so that we might find our way to eternal bliss. 

We have one God and our God is merciful and gave us His written Word as a guide for our lives. He watches over us and cares for us. He is all we need. 

And, we are grateful.   

Be Brave, Get Help

 

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“I just can’t help it.” That is a defense of sin. The truth is we can help it. God always make a way for us to escape from sin. The way may look messy to us. It may require that we make some waves and turn our lives upside down, but there is a way.  If you need help, get help.  

Be brave. Be courageous. God is on your side.

Not The Best And The Brightest

 

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

From the beginning, God chose some of the most unlikely people to do His work. There was Moses the reluctant leader. There was Jacob who was a mama’s boy. There was the Apostle Peter who shot his mouth off at all the wrong times. There were the Apostles James and John who wanted to call the fire of heaven down on the Samaritans (Luke 9:54).

God took ordinary people, and used them to proclaim His message to the world. And, He still uses unlikely people today to do His work.

If you think that not being smart, or lacking a good education or having a messy life, excludes you from being of service to God, think again. You are just the one He is looking for.

When God calls, answer Him.

Be A Wise Guy

 

The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Proverbs 18:15

It is easy to just jump right in without preparation and hard to straighten things out afterwards. If you are putting a roof on your house and you have never done it before, it would be wise to get some advice before you start or you might end up with $2000 worth of shingles and a leaky roof.

It’s the same way in life, if we have a problem that is too big for us to sort out on our own; we need to find someone who can help us make the right decision.

God puts people in our path that will help us, and all we have to do is ask for help.

Boldly Ask and Boldly Offer Prayer

 

Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the leaders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

James 5:13-15

We are doing this wrong. If we are suffering, we whine or complain or say nothing. If we are sick, we go around looking tortured. The right thing to do is to pray. And, we should have no qualms about calling on our Christian friends to come pray for our recovery and they should have no qualms about coming to us.

We are not islands, we are continents of Christian compassion and we need to act like it. So, the next time one of your friends is whining about oppression, rotten kids or a stomach ache, say, “Let me pray with you.” Then do it. 

Prayer changes things. 

Amen

The Almighty

 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” Says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelations 1:8

God is always with us. We are never left alone. He has said it, and it is true: He is the Almighty. And, He is on our side.

 

A Round Of Applause For The Lord

 

It is good to give thanks to the Lord

And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

To declare Your loving-kindness in the morning

And Your faithfulness by night,

With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,

With resounding music upon the lyre.

For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,

I will sing for joy for the works of Your hands.

Psalms 92:1-4

Many years ago, I attended a church where the worship leader encouraged us to get out our ten-stringed instruments – our hands – and give the Lord a round of applause for all He does for us.

It sounded corny, but the act of applauding God brought a spirit of joy into the worship service.

When we thank God for whatever our circumstances are, we release His power into our lives, and He blesses us with joy. The next time you feel like God has abandoned you, get out your ten-stringed instruments, give God a round of applause, and see what happens

Give What You Can

 

And He sat down opposing the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums; a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors, to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” 

Mark 12:41-44

We sometimes think that we don’t have much to give compared to wealthy people who give millions of dollars away to their favorite causes. But Jesus doesn’t see giving as being millions of dollars, He sees giving as all of us giving something to make the world a better place. There is as much honor in making a pillow case dress for a little girl in Haiti as there is in building a million dollar sports arena for a college.

If you think you can’t give enough to make a difference, think again

A Stick In Your Bicycle Spokes

 

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?

Galatians 5:7

Every now and then we have an experience which puts a stick in the bicycle spokes of our faith and we find ourselves sprawled out and dazed as we dust off after the wreck. Everybody has times when they get tangled up by people or circumstances which result in less than Christ like behavior.

The good news is that we can examine our lives and with God’s help repair our spiritual selves.

We Are Welcome

 

For the scripture says: Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 10:11-13

God is not counting our errors or requiring us to do penitence for our sins or dismissing us because of what we look like or where we come from or how we talk. God embraces us all as His sons and daughters; we say “We believe” and He says, “Welcome.”

 

More Than We Deserve

 

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for a good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8

With God we get more than we deserve. God’s love is extended to each and every one of us, without question. God’s only desire is to rescue us out of sin and into his grace.

White As Snow

 

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.”

Isaiah 1:18

No matter how far we stray from God, He is there to forgive us, if we ask.  

The best part of God's forgiveness, is that our sins are forgotten, and God sees us as being perfect.

And, we can get on with our lives renewed by the love of God.

Fulfill Your Mission

 

And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not even have two tunics apiece.”

Luke 9:2-3

When God sends us on a mission, He gives us everything we need to do His work. We don’t need to dwell on what we don’t have but to believe that we have all that we need – the Spirit of God upon us.

Get going.

All Those Little Aggavations

 

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

Paul’s encouragement still applies today. We as Christians can become more resilient by changing our attitude about how we let life’s little aggravations affect us. Getting into a frame of mind where we can say to ourselves, “So what,” or “Whatever,” when little things go wrong, can change our whole outlook on life and open us up to receive the blessing of peace. 

Look in the mirror and practice saying, "Whatever."  See what happens.  Maybe peace will chase you down. 

Do Not Be Surprised

 

Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

1 John 3:13

They are out there. They were there in the times of Moses, Isaiah, Elijah, Ezekiel, Jesus, and the Apostles. The faces change, but their message is the same – hate. They are the ones who will hate us because we are Jews or Christians or because we attend church or because we refuse to help them bully innocent people. When we speak up, they are there to try to stop us by heckling or giving us a not too gentle shove. They are not above lying about us in hopes of creating more enemies for us or making us look bad in the eyes of others.

We have our own weapons – love and prayer. We know we serve the God who is the master of the last minute victory and we take comfort in this.

Better Than Gold

 

But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene — walk!”

Acts 3:6

Did you ever think you should say something and then not speak? When we are confronted by people who have problems and we don’t have a clue what we can say to help them, we can take a hint from Peter. We can say, “Can I pray with you?” Or if we are not that bold, we can say, “I hear you and I will pray for you.”

We can bring the love of Christ to many people, just by being willing to offer what we have – faith in God, that no matter what He is looking after all of us.

Jesus Is For Everyone

 

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-17

The early Christians had a magnificent revelation from God that salvation through Jesus was for everyone. Jesus, the Messiah, did not come as a political leader as the Jews expected, but as a spiritual leader who broke the barrier of sin which separated man from God.

The power of the Gospel is that through Jesus, God extends His forgiveness and love to everyone. No one is too good or too bad. We are all candidates for forgiveness.

All we have to do is ask Jesus to come into our lives, forgive us and to declare Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior and we are forgiven.

When we have faith, God does the rest.

A New Year - Good Things To Come

Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness… and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people. The people who I formed for Myself will declare my praise.

Isaiah 43:18-21

Let us thank God for all that is to come in 2025.