Rejoice Always

 

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This is good advice for us.  When things are going well and when things are not going well, we can still find things that are good in our lives.  We can thank God that He is there and listening to us and comforting us.  

Circumstances do not change how God loves us, and we can rejoice that no matter what God is on our side.  

This is the will of God is that we remain faithful and grateful. 

More Than What We See

 

As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.

But many of those who heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

Acts 4:1-4

When Peter and John set out to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they had no idea what would happen. They believed in the power of their message.

Even when they were arrested and put in jail, the power of the message took hold and many came to believe in Jesus.

We should not grow discouraged because the outward signs may indicate that the message of the Gospel is being rejected, because it is not the outward signs which reveal the power of the Gospel, but the inward changes in the hearts of men, women and children.

Get Up

 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:12

We all get discouraged sometimes, but we are not to stay discouraged.  We are to pray and ask God to restore our spirit of joy and our willingness to serve Him.

God is there to answer our prayers, ask and be revived.   

When we are down, God is there to get us up. 

Forgive and Be Forgiven

 

Jesus said, “When you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you, your transgressions.”

Mark 11:25

Jesus gave us insightful instructions in His last days before the crucifixion. He tells us to forgive others because if we do not forgive others our grudges stand as a barrier between God and us. It is not that God does not want to forgive us, but that our lack of forgiveness leaves us in a state of unrepentant sin. 

Forgiveness does not mean agreement; forgiveness means acknowledging the offense and setting aside all malice, anger, disappointment and ill will we have toward the offender. Once the bitterness is gone, we can truly experience God’s forgiveness.

Forgive and be forgiven.

Round And Round

 

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Psalm 118:8

The latest innovation in traffic control here in Ohio is the roundabout or traffic circle. Until a few years ago, these were unknown in Ohio; then the Highway Department started building them and roundabouts became the darling of road construction.

Roundabouts are easy to navigate, but many drivers are confounded by them. They do not understand that all traffic flows to the right and that they must turn right to get onto the circle and turn right to get off the circle. All the signs point to the right, but drivers still go the wrong way.

Sometimes that’s what happens to us when we find ourselves in a new situation. All the signs point us in the right direction, but we can’t decide what to do because we are over advised by friends and foes. That’s when it is a good time to take a break and pray for guidance.

When we look to God, He will point us in the right direction.

It Will Spring Forth

 

Do not call to mind 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 make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19

We can waste a lot of time thinking about what we should have done or not done.  We can continuously celebrate past victories or lament past failures.  Neither of these do anything to help us move forward with our lives.

So, what are we do do?  Throw the rear view mirror out the window and look to the future and ask what is it God has for me to do?  

God is all about making the impossible possible.  Look for  possibilities, and be sure God will help you make something new happen.

Be confident.  God promises it will spring forth.    

 

 

When You Don't Know What To Say

 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

What do we say when we don’t know what to say?

Every now and then we are confronted by someone who presents us with a situation which leaves us speechless. We know we need to say something, but we have no idea of what to say.

Not everyone who bares their soul is looking for advice. Sometimes we just need to acknowledge that we heard what they said. If the person is receptive we can pray with them on the spot, and if not, then we can tell them we will pray for them and then do it. Rarely is an offer of prayer rejected.

In any event, we can be sure that if we ask God, He will direct us to say and do what is right.

Pause and Calm Down

 

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

Sometimes we become roaring angry because someone says or does something to us. Maybe your car got ran into or someone mistreated your child or it is an offhand remark that we take a little too personally. And, maybe we are perfectly justified to be angry or maybe not.

However, before we fire off our mouth and make a bad situation worse or stir up a fist fight, we need to pause and calm down. Grandma said we should count to ten before we speak, but it might be better to count to fifty. Then choose our words carefully so we make peace.

The time to defuse a volatile situation is before it gets volatile.

God Protects What Is His

 

Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den…. Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him, and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.”

Daniel 6:16, 19-22

Daniel trusted God. It did not matter that statistically it looked like he would die when the King threw him in the lions’ den. What matter to Daniel was that God had never failed him, and he believed that God would not fail him in the lions’ den. Daniel was right. His trust in God trumped the power of the King and the appetite of the lions.

When we faces lions we need to remember that we serve the same God as Daniel, and that He never changes. We are not the lions’ lunch, we are God’s children, and He protects what is His.

God Specializes In Doing The Impossible

 

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

When we face difficult times, we pray and ask God to help. Then we busy ourselves tweaking things and trying to get things done. We advise people who don’t want to be advised and rearrange things that don’t need rearranging. Then we get frustrated because, aside from people not speaking to us, nothing is happening.

If you are burdened or upset by things that you really can’t change, give those things to God, and trust Him get things rolling. God specializes in doing the impossible; let Him do it.

We Are All Gifted

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgement, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Since we have different gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly; if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith, if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching or he who exhorts, in his exhortation, he who gives with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Romans 12:3-13

God gives us all gifts for ministry to others.  We are to work together to take the Gospel to the world and not discount anyone's gift as being less than another's gift.

As Paul said, we are to be devoted to one another in brotherly love and honor, so we many contribute to the needs of others. 

Find your gift and use it for God's glory. 

 

White As Snow

 

“Come now let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,

“Though you sins are as scarlet,

They will be made white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.”

Isaiah 1:18

God says no matter how bad we think we are, that He still loves us.  We cannot erase our pasts, but we can be made new.    

It is Jesus who makes us white as snow. Invite Jesus into your life today and be made new.

Watch Out

 

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Galatians 1:6-7

They are still out there today. They come under the guise of Christianity but proclaim principles which are contrary to the Bible. They promise what they cannot deliver like your own personal angel if you donate $1000 to them.  They insert slivers of truth in their corrupted message but by and large the message is not salvation through Jesus.

The Bible is our gold standard. We can measure what anyone teaches against what the Word of God says. If the words don’t measure up then we reject the message. 

Light Up

 

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus does not speak passive words to us; He speaks words that call us to action.

Jesus challenges us to live in a way which demonstrates our Christian beliefs by doing what is good and right. It is easy to sit by and complain about the state of the world, it is more difficult to get up and do something. When we help people we demonstrate God’s love. We may think we are only saying encouraging words or feeding a few poor people and debate what difference our actions make. But the truth is when we step out in faith and do something, we unleash the love of God upon the world.

Light up your light so all may see God.

Live To Preach Another Day

 

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

Jesus said this not to discount the power of the Gospel in reaching the unsaved, but as a caution that it is not always the right time or place to proclaim the Gospel. An example of this would be if you find yourself in the middle of a riot or a heated argument which has the potential to turn violent, then it would be prudent to do your best to excuse yourself from the situation so that you can live to preach another day.

The idea is to use wisdom at all times and to remember we represent Christ on earth.

Who Will Bring Charges Against God's Elect?

 

Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather He who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Romans 8:33-34

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Accepting Jesus as our Lord, Master and Savior washes us clean of all our sins. We need not spend our lives defending ourselves against our past sins, because we are forgiven.

Likewise, we are to view other Christians without condemnation because Jesus died once for all, including those whom we would like to judge as unworthy. We need to be mindful that new Christians are new and may take a while to sort those things out in their lives which do not measure up to God’s word. Rather than judge, it is better that we rejoice with them in their salvation and pray with and for them.

In The House Of The Lord

 

One thing I shall ask from the Lord, that I shall seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord

And to meditate in His temple.

For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;

In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock.

And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,

And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing, yes I will sing praises to the Lord.

Psalm 27:4-6

We are comforted knowing that God cares for us, will protect us and provide for all our needs.  

And, we praise God for this. 

Wait For The Lord

 

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

When we are tired and ready to quit, God wants us to rest and wait on Him to renew us.  

Take a break, pray and be renewed. 

It Is By Faith

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it men of old gained approval. …

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Hebrews 11:1-2, 31

When we are jumping to judge people, we need to consider that we do not judge as God judges. God sees the hearts of men and women.

Rahab was a prostitute living in Jericho. She knew God parted the Red Sea and delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and she believed that He was the True God. When two Israelite spies ask Rahab to help them and promised her that she and her family would be safe when Jericho was overrun by the Israelites, she trusted them.

The spies escaped from Jericho, and when the City was destroyed by the Israelites, only Rahab and her family were saved. Of all the people God could have saved, He saved Rahab, not because of her personal merits, but because she had faith in Him as the One True God.

That is the way it is with God, no one is saved because they are good, they are saved by faith in God and His Son, Jesus.

Remember that.

Err On The Side Of Mercy

 

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye.

Luke 6:41

My Father-in-law, the late Reverend Everett Mill, Jr., told a story about some children who were caught throwing rocks and breaking basement windows at a church he attended. At a church board meeting he expressed his anger that parents did not teach their children to respect the church and demanded that the children’s parents pay for the damage.

The board members agreed and informed Everett that his son liked to throw rocks.

It is easy for us to judge and condemn others for shortcomings. What is not so easy is to recognize that we are not perfect either, and that perhaps we need to clean up some things in our lives.

Jesus reminds us to err on the side of mercy when we judge others because we too may require some mercy.

Because God Is Good

 

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

God does not limit His love to only those who are good people or people with small sins.  God's love is for everyone. He dares to do what no one else ever has done.  He loves us when we are sinners, when we are not good.

God's forgiveness brings us into His family.  

Jesus came for all men, women and children.  And, He is waiting for you.

This is possible, not because we are good, but because God is good.  

The Right Thing

 

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

James 4:17

When I pray for all the children in my life, I pray that they will be strong and brave and fearless and know the right thing to do and do it.  

Yes, I pray they will have good health and be kind and know kindness, too.  But in the big picture, I see that knowing the right thing to do and doing will make them strong when they face difficult choices.  

Sometimes it takes a life time of bad choices to figure this out, but I say, "Why wait?"  

As Martin Luther King said, "The time is always right do do what is right." 

 

God Is Patient

 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Sometimes we pray for someone for a long time without seeing any results.  We may be discouraged because we think that our prayers are not being heard, or maybe that God is not going to answer our prayers in a way we think He will.

Even if we do not see the results we want, we can be sure that God hears our prayers and deals with the hearts of the people we pray for.  God made us with a free will, and it is up to each and every person to make a decision whether or not to accept God's free gift of salvation.   

Keep praying, God cares and hears you. 

Shine A Light

 

For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

John 3:20

Nobody likes to be wrong. Evil people know they are evil and they tend to stay away from the church and from Christians because they don’t want their evil to be called out. They may speak ill of the church and Christians and point out every possible flaw they can think of to make the Gospel look wrong and themselves look right. 

What we need to give these lost souls is some hell fire and damnation.  When Christians get in the face of evil people, they get uncomfortable. Doing this we may get roughed up, but we do not quit, because nothing destroys evil like the love of Jesus, and in the long run, Jesus will win. 

Shine a light.

 

You Can't Hide From God

 

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn,

If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

Even there Your hand will lead me,

And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,

And the light around me will be night,”

Even the darkness is not dark to You,

And the night is as bright as the day.

Darkness and light are alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother’s womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made….

Psalm 139:7-14

We all have times when we make ourselves stealth.  Maybe we have problems at work and we spend our days trying to fly under the boss' radar.  Or, maybe we have a problem we can't fix and we are reluctant to ask for help.  We may have health problems that put the brakes on what we need to do.  Or, maybe we just think we need a break from it all.   

God is not like us.

God never takes a break from us.  He is right there with us.  He made us, He loves us, and He will never leave us.

You can hide from the boss, but you can't hide from God.  He is there with you.

 

God Heals The Brokenhearted

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

A romantic break up or a death or a job loss or a betrayal or a wayward child or any of a hundred other things can result in a broken heart.  

God understands and feels our pain, and He is there is comfort us and help us heal.

God has promised to heal our broken hearts and all His promises are true.   

Have faith God is taking care of you.   

 

It's A Slippery Slope

 

If the Lord had not been my help,

My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.

If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”

Your loving kindness, O Lord will hold me up.

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,

Your consolations delight my soul….

Psalm 94:17-19

Life can be a slippery slope, and sometimes when we get something going in the wrong direction, we need help to put the brakes on it.  

The Lord is our help, and He is there hanging on to us and helping all along the way. 

God is on our side and for this we are grateful. 

Spread A Little Cheer

Greet one another with a holy kiss.  

I Galatians 13:12

Well maybe not a kiss, but at least a smile and a “Hey, how are you doing?” And, for the grumpy ones who scowl and complain, we can say, “Hey, I got your back.” Then run away.

Go spread a little cheer.  

 

God Is Running To Us

 

With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;

And in the midst of many I will praise Him.

For He stands at the right hand of the needy,

To save him from those who judge his soul.

Psalms 109:30-31.

We all know them: Needy people. They may be the victims of situations beyond their control or they may be victims of their own stupidity. They may be us. 

It is easy to beat up on ourselves and other people when things go wrong. God does the opposite. When everyone else is running away, God is running to us. When things are at their worst, God is at His best.

For God's unfailing love and support, we are grateful.

The Spirit Of God Rests On You

 

If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

1 Peter 4:14.

Every Christian has or will experience it. It is never pleasant. Yet, every one of us at some point will be hated because we are Christians. 

I had a philosophy class in college and the instructor publicly called me out. He said, “You’re the only Christian in here.” I replied, “No, there are others. They are stealth.” I was an old lady who was working on an associate’s degree, and I had the gall to ask him questions, while all the children sat silent, and this irritated him. I never once mentioned my Christianity, yet he knew I was a Christian and hated me for it.

After that I wore my “What Would Jesus Do?” t-shirt to class every day. Day after day the instructor insulted the Christian Church. I didn’t say anything because lots of people don’t like organized religion. Then one day he insulted Jesus, and I stood up and walked out. After that he kept his insults directed at the church and I tortured through and finished the class.

Several months later, I was dropping my teenage daughter off at a youth meeting when a young woman came up to me and asked, “Were you in that philosophy class at Owens?” I nodded. Then she said, “Remember that day when you walked out? Well, I walked out too.”

I knew the Spirit of God rested on me.

Who Is The Greatest?

 

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Matthew 18:1-6

Notice when asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, that Jesus did not say industrial tycoons or politicians or ministers or kings or queens or billionaires or movie stars or any of the people that wield power here on earth. Jesus said children, and those who humble themselves like children, will be the greatest.

This is because God does not judge success as we judge success. God judges success as having a pure heart and pure motives.

It is not that we cannot have any of the trappings of earthly success; it is that we must also have the attributes of a child – a good heart and a kind spirit.

Let us be mindful of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and humble ourselves before God.