God Gives Us Strength

 

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

It is said that the greater the risk the greater the reward.  This means that we sometimes have to give up something to get something.  Think about students.  They give up years of their lives for education and may forgo a higher paying job in order to devote time to their studies so they will graduate and be able to pursue the career of their choice.

The same is true of many other things in life - like buying a house, which may mean we forgo fancy vacations and expense entertainment to save money in order to amass a down payment.  And, there are children who devote hours practicing a sport so that they will make the team.  

All achievements require strength and God is right there to help you along.   

It is God who give us the strength to meet our goals.

God Is Here For You

 

The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:8

We all have been afraid at sometime of someone or something.

But in all this God tells us that He is with us.  God does not forsake us when we are afraid, He holds us close and says, "Do not fear or be dismayed."

In all things God loves us and has plans for us.  Don't give up. Get up.  Look for God's direction.  

God is here for you.

Nothing Can Separate Us From The Love of Christ

 

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Just as it is written, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39

Recued and Redeemed

 

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

When God comes looking for us, He comes looking in all our secret places, where we hide our sins, both big and small.  He is not worried that we are not good enough, because He makes us good enough by forgiving our sins and transferring us from the darkness we deserve, into the kingdom of His Son, Jesus.  

God is our redeemer, and He is there not just for us, but for everyone.  When you find someone who seems far from God, take a minute to tell them about God's love and that He is waiting for them.

Have a blessed day.

Take A Break

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

We are all so busy.  Working and running here and there to events and the gym and then there are the kids, so many activities.  Some of us are too busy to grocery shop, so we order everything on-line and have it delivered. We rush and we rush.  

I can't help but think that maybe we are too busy.  

Jesus tells us to find rest for our souls.  When we take time to rest, life becomes less of a chore and more of a joy.  

Give yourself a break - take a break.

 

Be All We Can Be

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25

These characteristics are big goals. Our human nature causes us to respond to the grating of everyday aggravations with irritability and grouchiness.

Yet, here we are given what we are to aspire to – love, joy, peace and the rest, all of which roundly defeat our natural tendencies to be angry.

And, how do we do this? We do this through prayer, reading the Bible and most of all through the grace of God.

God did not create us to be miserable, angry people. God created us to be filled with love and joy. Let us work to be all we can be with God’s help.

 

Better Than We Think

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Mitch Albon in his book The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto (Harper Collins, 2015) wrote: “… when a higher power has a plan for you, life can be full of near misses.”

We tend to regard near misses of bad things as good for us and near misses of good things as bad for us, but what if both play equally into God’s plans?

This makes us reconsider how we are doing, doesn’t it? Perhaps when we think we are not doing too well, we are doing better than we think. 

 

On Guard

 

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

2 John 1:7-8

At the time of the Apostles, and still today, there are people who misrepresent the Gospel. They say things like: “Jesus was a prophet,” or “Jesus was a good man,” or “Jesus was a great teacher.” They do not acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. Some bend and corrupt the Bible's teachings to reflect their own ideas. They try to disguise their departure from the truth by projecting an air of authority. Sometimes they are lone wolves, who do not affiliate or associate with mainline Christian churches, and sometimes they are part of church like organizations.

Most pastors are not frauds, but we must be diligent in examining the teachings of all pastors, evangelists and religious leaders who come in the name of Christ, by measuring what they say and do against the Bible.

If the teachings do not measure up to the Word of God, then we need to run away, lest we be corrupted by lies.

Be on guard.

It Is What It Is

 

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that the man (or woman) of God may be adequately equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16

Jeff Foxworthy said, “It’s a weird sensation to be mad and learning at the same time.”

That is the way it is with the Bible. We do not like it when the Bible challenges our ideas of what is OK. Notice I did not say right, I said OK.

Society likes to randomly reject some of the scripture, depending upon the popular sin of the week. There are those who think that the Bible does not mean “Thou shall not commit adultery.”  There are those who think we should not feed the poor even though Jesus fed the 5,000 and didn’t check anyone’s income.

Some apply “Thou shall not kill” to abortion, but not capital punishment.

All kinds of arguments are made in defense of rejecting parts of the Bible. Like, the government says it’s legal and everybody is doing it. Just because it is legal does not mean it is moral and if everybody is doing it that alone is a good reason not to do it.

We may not like what the Bible says, but it is what it is and it is the Word of God.  

Rescued and Redeemed

 

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:13-17

This day after Easter let us remember all that God has done for us and know that God wants the best for us, no matter what.  

We are rescued and redeemed and we are grateful. 

Jesus Is Alive!

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

And behold a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow.

The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come see the place where He was lying.”

“Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.

Matthew 28:1-9

Jesus is alive. He said He was coming back and He did. No plans or prisons of man could hold Him. The power of God went with and before Jesus, lifting Him from the grave, and giving Him new life for all eternity.

Jesus is who He says He is. He is the Son of God and He is our Savior and Redeemer.

Hallelujah! He’s back.

The Power of God

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.

And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.

Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ And the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go make it as secure as you know how.”

And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.”

Matthew 27:57-66

Even in death the words of Jesus, loomed large in the minds of his opponents. They were afraid that He spoke correctly when He said He would rise from the grave, or at the very least, His followers would steal His body and claim resurrection. Pilate set out to insure Jesus remained in the tomb by sealing and guarding His grave. For Jesus there would be no escape.

What they failed to anticipate was that the power of the resurrection was greater than any plan devised by man.

The resurrection was coming and no man could stop it because the power of God is greater than the power of man.

Not The End, The Beginning

 

Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

There they crucified Him, and with Him, two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

John 19:16-19

They showed no mercy when they crucified Jesus. Little did they know that the events of that day would shake the world.

We proudly bear the name of Christians, because we believe that Jesus did not just die that day, He died for all our sins so we could be united in fellowship with God. Though we mourn Jesus’ horrible death, we rejoice knowing the cross was not the end; it was the beginning because Jesus rose from the grave, defeating death once and for all; so, even when we breathe our last breath, we will not be gone forever, we will simply be present in a better place.

Good Friday was not the end, but the beginning.

Problem Solving 101

Jesus said, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Matthew 7:6

Sometimes it is better if we keep our mouths shut. It may seem almost cruel not to offer advice when we see someone struggling with a problem for which we know of a solution. However, offering unsolicited advice may result in being told “Mind your own business.” 

It is difficult to watch people who we care about struggle over problems for which there are easier solutions than that which they have chosen to pursue. There is also the possibility that what we think is a problem they do not consider a problem.

We can think about how we approach people who we perceive to be in a struggle. We can ask, “So, how is it going?”  If they say “O.K.” then say no more about it and pursue small talk and try to wedge in some encouraging words. If they say, “Winter is coming and my kids have no coats,” then it is open season.

Trust God to direct us to do His will.

 

No Excuses, Promises Fulfilled

 

For all the promises of God find their yes in Him ….

1 Corinthians 1:20

What about all those excuses? We all have them.

Every day we excuse ourselves with excuses, and that is alright. We are human beings and sometimes our visions of how things will be, do not line up with the reality of how things are, and then the excuses pour out.

But God does not operate from a perspective of excuses, God operates from promises fulfilled. When God says He will do something, He does it. He is faithful to us in all things including pouring His blessing on us.

When we need someone to count on, God is the One.

Hallelujah!

God Is Compassionate

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found;

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

The message is that God is looking for us and that He wants us to come to Him and ask and be forgiven. God is not vindictive toward us, but is compassionate.   

Read all of Chapter 55 and savor the goodness God has for you.

Follow The Man With The Water Jug

 

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”

They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”

And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.”

And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

Luke 22:7-13

This is what we know about the preparations for as the Last Supper – which is one of the biggest events chronicled in the Bible. The Disciples did not spend weeks on the telephone booking a venue; they did what Jesus told them to do and everything was just as He said it would be.

I think the message for us is that we need to think less about things that do not go according to our plans and trust God that the final outcome will be exactly what He planned. 

Follow the man with the water jug, because God knows where He is going.

Palm Sunday

They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!"

John 12:13

Jesus did not hide from His enemies; He boldly came into the city and was received with joy and honor by those who had heard of His mercy and love and good works.

Jesus did this knowing that in only a few days everything would change and He would be charged, convicted and crucified for our sins.

Let us remember today that being a Christian is not about being comfortable, it is about doing what we are called to do by God. We may think that God requires a lot from us, but it is nothing compared to what He did for us when He sent His Son, Jesus, to deliver us from our sins.

Celebrate the love of God and boldly proclaim Jesus as the Savior of the world.

 

Do What You Must

 

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

No matter what state our personal lives are in, there is always something we can do to help others.  This is the hallmark of Christianity:  There is nothing that can stop the love of God.

And, it is we who carry the love of God and who must always try to do what is good for others.

Be brave, extend the hand of fellowship and God's love to those who need it most.

Sticky Bun, Anyone?

 

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, “He has a demon!” The Son of man has come eating and drinking and you say, “Behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

Luke 7:33-34.

Jesus was controversial, and sometimes, as in this case, the controversy was created by those seeking a reason to discredit Him. This also proves that no matter what we do, there are those who will find a reason to question whether our actions line up with being a “good Christian” in their opinion.

Jesus pointed out that it is ridiculous to judge and criticize  Christians on the basis of some unimportant action which is irrelevant to their stand as a Christian.  Sometimes what people do or don't do may seem odd, but that does not mean it is wrong.  

Let us consider this and not be so quick to criticize other Christians for matters of personal choice which have no bearing on their Christianity. 

Not Self Righteous, Made Righteous

 

…If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10

Our confession is Jesus as Lord. We are righteous not of our own doing, but because Jesus took our sin and died once and for all. No prayerful repetition of our unworthiness can atone any further for our sins. All that is required of us is the true confession – Jesus is our Lord, Master and Savior.

We are not self righteous, we are made righteous by God.  

God Will Pick You Up

 

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:10-13

Everybody has tough times. Bad stuff can overwhelm us and make us feel as though we are without hope. We fixate on what we cannot fix and while we are fixating, God is fixing us.

God never leaves us. When we run away, He chases us down the street, all the while calling to us, “I am the hope of the world, trust Me.”

Just turn around and flag Him down and He will pick you up.

Renewed By God

 

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We are not worn out by life, we are renewed by God.

Let The Peace Of Christ Rule

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:15-17

In turbulent times it is easy for us to be swept away in the moment.  We become anxious and fearful of what might happen to us.  We let our thinking become tainted with fear rather than thinking about solutions or resolutions that might make things better or at least bearable.  

It is during these times we can take to heart God's promises and encourage one another, and allow the peace of Christ rule our hearts.  

May the peace of Christ Rule in your heart and life.

 

The Bond Of Peace

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

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 4:1-6

The Apostle Paul frequently got into trouble because of his preaching.  While he drew large crowds to hear him preach, there were those who did not like what he had to say, and threw him in prison.

Yet, even as he was jailed, he still sent words of encouragement to Christians.  Here he speaks of the need for us as Christians to tolerate each other because it is important to our mission to further the work of the gospel.   

Let us remember this, when we disagree.  We are, after all, all serving one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

 

Words of Encouragement

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe….

Ephesians 1:15-19

The Apostle Paul wrote this message to the Ephesians and these words still bring hope and inspiration to us to day.  

Read these words twice and let them sink in and consider the surpassing greatness of God's power toward us.

 

 

Help By Not Helping

 

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

Psalm 41:9

There is a hurt so deep that it can’t be spoken, and that is the betrayal of a friend or family member for whom you have done much.  We feel foolish that we were tricked again and again by their endless talk and questioning and begging. 

 

God has not called us to be doormats.  Sometimes the best way to help is by not helping.  This can be painful for everybody involved.  This does not mean that we do not love them, it means we care enough to step back so they may mend their wayward behavior and find their way to a better life. 

 

Trust God.  

 

Part Of A Bigger Plan

 

Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”

But Job said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job 2:9-10

Did you ever notice when bad things happen to Christians there are always people who say they must have done something wrong?

I should know because I have felt at times like I was melting in the midst of purgatory with accusations from those who I thought would support me in the worst five minutes of my life. I was driven to the point of questioning and accusing myself and I teetered on the edge of ditching my faith and just trying to “be good” to see how that would work.

Then I discovered my accusers were wrong. It does not matter if your spouse cheated on you or your child got arrested or your house burnt down or you were laid off from your job, it is not because you sinned. It is because God has some bigger plan He is working on and you just happen to be right in the middle of it.

It may be rough going, but we need to praise God for our circumstances and with great anticipation wait to see what He has planned next.

Raise your hands up and say, “Thank you God for everything. I trust you. Hallelujah! Amen.”