Who's in Charge

1 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? 3 Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much.5 Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?6 What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone7 as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? 8 “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb,9 and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness?10 For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores.11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’ 12 “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east?13 Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?14 As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors. 15 The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence. 16 “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths? 17 Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? 18 Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know! 19 “Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? 20 Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there?

Job 38:1-20 (NLT)

What can we really do and what do we really know? Science has come a long way but there are still so many things that we cannot do or explain. Job began to question God and God confronted him about his humanity. He points out the difference between who He is and who we are. The idea that we are not in control really bothers some people so they refuse to believe there is a God. If we are willing to trust in God through His Son Jesus than we need not worry about tomorrow or even the trials of today. Knowing who is in control should actually bring us peace and security. Yet more and more people chose to turn away and try to satisfy themselves. That choice only lead sto death and misery. I pray you have a blessed day as you walk in the light of God’s word.

Judging One Another

Difficult subject to share about but the church no matter the denomination is struggling with what is right and wrong so this is relevant and important even if you don’t agree. We often hear it said that we are not to judge anyone. And this scripture is always quoted:

1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged

Matthew 7:1-2 (NLT)

I shared with you this week that we must be willing to show love to those who come to our churches and into our lives that do not know Jesus as their lord and savior; sharing with them that same grace and mercy that we have received. As we look at the passage from the Sermon on the Mount we are often quick to say that we should not judge each other because this is what Jesus taught. Yet in verse two you see the line, “that you will be treated as you treat others.” On the issue of judging it becomes a matter of the standards we will live by. In reality we as Christians cannot judge the world because the standard we hold to be true as Christians is absolutely different than what the world holds to be truth. So yes we should not judge those who are in the world because we have no common ground from which to do it. We see that Paul understood this as he wrote to the Corinthians:

9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin.10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (NLT)

As Children of God we no longer live by the same rules the world does. My sons do not have the same rules to live by as your children might. As Christians we are bound by the Word of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to act and do things in accordance with God’s word. The problem today is that too many people have decided to allow things to go on that are contrary to the word of God. This is what is wrong in our churches today. It has become the hunt and peck system of living the Christian life. We only allow God’s Word to address issues that are not controversial; we avoid the areas that call people into conviction out of a desire not to judge. Our desire for political correctness is going to send individuals to hell.  When people cannot tell the difference between the church and the world maybe it is time we started holding those who claim to be Christians accountable to God’s Word. After all that is the standard we ourselves will one day be judged by. If you believe scripture is true, we will all one day stand before God and face that judgment ourselves. Do you realize that the Day of Judgment is not even taught in some denominations?  I believe the day has come that we must either be willing to offend while changes can be made or we will allow those who we call brothers and sister in Christ to be put to shame. I pray that in wisdom, grace and mercy we can begin to reclaim the values found in God’s word and restore honor to His name. I pray you have a truly blessed day as you walk in the light of His Word.

Excuse Number One

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.4 They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra-long tassels. 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ 8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.11 The greatest among you must be a servant.12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. 15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!

Matthew 23:1-15 (NLT)

Yes that is a lot of scripture and you can probably guess what God has placed on my heart today. The number one reason people give for not attending church is; it is full of hypocrites. You know that is true and I can be one of them myself and so can anyone else who forgets why we come together in a place like a church or fellowship. You see it is easy for us as people to think we have all the answers and if we are exposed to anything long enough we will try to provide them even when they are not asked for. You ever try to give someone unsolicited advice? They may politely listen to you and then avoid you for the next couple of weeks or they might become angry and fight with you. That is at the heart of what a hypocrite is. By definition it is a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings, as a Christian we should not lay burdens on those who come into the presence of God desiring to be in relationship with Jesus. Yet we do, we often forget that at some point in our own lives we were as lost and undone as everyone else. We often forget that had it not been for the grace and mercy that has been shown us by God through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus and Christian people who did not judge us but instead showed us the love that God had graced them with we would still be lost and on our way to hell. Let me close with these verses from Zechariah:

8 Then this message came to Zechariah from the Lord: 9 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another.10 Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.

Zechariah 7:8-10 (NLT)

No matter how good the preaching is or the music we should always remember that we come to worship God not man when we join together in a church or fellowship. Our lives should always reflect the grace and mercy we have received even though we were not worthy of it. Than that  should be what we show to others. It just dawned on me that this may seem hypocritical to those reading it. If so I apologize and ask forgiveness. This excuse we use and hear holds no water because our worship is not based on any person who might be in the church it is based on the God who brought you and me an opportunity for salvation. Have a blessed day as you walk in the light of God’s word.

Place of Worship

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)

Most arguably one of the arguments I hear when I try to invite people to church is I can worship God right where I am and be fine doing it. Well you can but when we realize that we are created to be in relationship first with God than with those who also believe and have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus that is when we have to begin considering going to a church. I am not promoting one church over another but in times of trouble and trial which always comes we need a group of people who will support us and give us council that will be in the same manner that we believe to be right. You see I know my strength is encouraged by spending time with those who have accepted Jesus and live a life honoring Him. Now not everyone that goes to church is a blessing some go for the wrong reasons but you must not allow their lack of wisdom to affect your walk with God.

I know you are probably thinking that Jesus never taught that we had to meet in a particular place or even in a group to have a better relationship with God. Yet there are only three times recorded that he was alone with someone sharing about the kingdom. (That I see.) The Samaritan women, Nicodemus and Pontius Pilate there might be others but those are the only three that come to mind. All the other times he is in a group of no less than four.  He went and taught in the temple and synagogues on the Sabbath and kept that portion of the law. Found in Deuteronomy 12:

  4 “Do not worship the Lord your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.5 Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored.6 There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks.7 There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you.8 “Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please,9 because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.10 But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you’re living safely in the land,11 you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored.

Deuteronomy 12:4-11 (NLT)

God gave instruction through Moses that they would come together to worship when they arrived in the place of rest. Today if you are walking with Jesus and living by the word of God than you have found a place of rest; is it not also time for you to seek fellowship and be obedient to what God has instructed of those who love Him. He does not tell us to worry about those who are hypocrites or to worry about that family down the road you really can’t get along with but that you are to come together to worship Him and to gain strength from the unity found in that worship. Have a truly blessed day and I challenge you to find a place to worship so that you can find strength for what lies ahead.

Bringing Wonder

7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

Psalms 71:7 (KJV)

7 I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

Psalms 71:7 (ESV)

7 My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection.

Psalms 71:7 (NLT)

            I shared this verse with the church Sunday morning but I was still thinking about what it really means to be a wonder to people. Knowing that the word wonder can have anyone of three meanings; makes me wonder which meaning, but that is based on the context in which you might be using it. It could mean that people think or speculate about whom you are and what you do or they might be filled with admiration, amazement and awe by you; but the one that comes to my mind when I look at it, is the issue of doubt.  People will look at you in all these manners when you have decided to follow Jesus. I know I can honestly say I have experienced them all and some of you have too.  You notice in the other translations they use different words with a more solid meaning. And each is appropriate if you read the whole text because it is about accepting God as our refuge. We should be an example and provide a portion to others in a time of trial or suffering. Then I look at the word Wonder and I think back to the day of my son’s funeral and I still remember someone saying they did not see or understand how my family could deal with it. I can only say that there has been a time when all of these definitions have been applied to my life and my family. People have looked on us and speculated about what we would do. They have been amazed in the fact that we have been able to trust in Jesus as the days have passed. Then there are those who doubt that what I believe in; to be really enough to meet my needs let alone the trials they face. Allow me to leave you wondering again today I can promise you that if you are willing to walk in the light of God’s word and apply it to your daily life making choices based on the promises found in His word you will make people wonder about you too. Have a blessed day and leave people wondering about what is different in your life and let them desire to know what it is. When they do; share it!

Knock, Knock; Who's There?

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)

I know you are probably thinking of all the knock knock jokes you have heard of in your life. I did when I was looking at the title but you know this is as serious of a thought that I have ever had. There are lots of things in the world knocking at the door of your heart. Who and what are you allowing in? Now that is not as funny. You see we must be sure of what we are allowing a place in our lives and in our hearts. The heart is the part of the body we associate what we love with all the many things we can allow in it can make it so full that we can begin to tell ourselves there is no more room. Yet we must learn what is important and what is not and cut out what is a distraction and a hindrance so that we can grow in our relationship with God. But it all starts with opening the door and allowing Jesus to come in and setup housekeeping. When the Holy Spirit moves in and starts working his way around if you will let Him he will create a change. So the question is for you today is simple; “Who is there?” If it’s not Jesus and the Holy Spirit do you really want to let who or whatever it is in? Have a blessed day as you walk in the light of God’s Word.

Joy In Creation

14 Then God said, “Let great lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them mark off the seasons, days, and years.15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened.16 God made two great lights, the sun and the moon—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Gen 1:14-18 (NLT)

It was about 3:30 this morning when I found myself outside walking the dog; when I had my breath taken away by the early morning sky. There is really know way to explain it; it was dark out but there is that time you may have seen a few hours before dawn when the sun is not yet shedding light and the moon has gone away for the day when it’s quiet and peaceful out. The clouds were rolled back and you could make out the tops of them in the distance but where I was standing it was an open sky with a million stars brightly shinning down for me to enjoy. Then it struck me just how amazing my God really is. As I picked out the constellations I know and recognize I remembered teaching my sons what they were and what they represented. I remember watching meteor shows and counting shooting stars all these things He has created for a purpose; and whatever that purpose is, one of them is so I can find joy in his creation.  I challenge you to take a minute today and just allow the beauty of the world around you to awaken the Spirit that God has placed in you allow it to bring out the truth of who He is and that you are created to be in relationship with Him. His beauty is always around us even in the midst of our greatest trials. It becomes our choice if we will look for His blessings in them. Praying God blesses you as you walk in the Light of His Word.

The Bondservant

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

Romans 1:1-6 (ESV)

In the NJKV this passage reads, “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ,” the NLT uses the word slave; you might wonder what the difference is and why it is what we are talking about. You know the difference between a slave, bondservant and servant in the English language they are synonyms but the actually have differing meanings. A slave is most often in their position not by choice; they are at the mercy of their master and no matter how they act or perform they have no control over their lives. They live in fear of the master always worrying about their needs. A servant is often in the employ of their master receiving payment with the choice of what they will do and when they stay or go. A bondservant is in the middle of all that. They are in their situation by choice living in complete obedience to their master. They are important to the master and they are well taken care of .They are either honor or duty bound to the person or persons they serve. Today I ask you which are you. Are you serving God out of your own desires taking what you want doing as you see fit and then when it is no longer profitable moving on to the next place. Or are you a slave living your life in complete submission not understanding who you serve living your life in fear of what he might do to you if you fail to do just the right thing. Or are you a trusted bondservant who has chosen to give your life over to another serving Him in all things. Knowing you are going to be taken care of as you do what he has called you to do. As a bondservant you are a skilled labor and have value in the eyes of the master. As you serve in obedience you will bring glory to His name before all nations. That is what we are called to do as Christians. We should only fear God with the understanding that He is the master if we serve him not out of that fear but out of a desire to see His name glorified and His kingdom expanded than we have done a good thing. Have a blessed day in the Lord as you walk in the light of His Word.

Jesus Wept

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.”35 Then Jesus wept.36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.

John 11:33-38 (NLT)

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

John 11:33-38 (KJV)

You might wonder why I have put both of these translations here it is because you need to see the difference in the scriptures and it will help you understand what was really going on in this situation. You see when I was reading this scripture the thought that came to my mind was here we have Jesus the Son of God who was God in the flesh crying. The first thing I take away from that is what they Jews say He must surely have loved Lazarus. But as I did a little more digging you see the word angry in one translation especially after they question the fact Jesus could have kept him from dying to begin with. You know there probably are many arguments over this the shortest scripture in the Bible as to the reason why, “Jesus wept.” But the argument to me is pointless what I take away from it is no matter the reason the act and occurrence of Jesus crying shows us His humanity.

Yes He was brought to tears in that one moment we see Jesus in a place where His human nature is on display for all to see. You know tears are a wonderful thing it allows an outlet for our emotions. Just think about it we have all laughed until we cried, some of our happiest moments and memories bring tears of Joy, you have been mad; to the point you could do nothing but cry as the anger takes control. In our worship to God when he is moving on us and bringing joy or conviction we can be brought to tears in His presence. I have decided that it is alright to cry. We tell people all the time dry up suck it up and get over it but you know sometimes you just have to let it out. We all desire as Christians to be more like Christ if Jesus could be moved to tears no matter what the cause loss, anger or joy there is nothing wrong in us responding with tears to our own situations. We find a promise in the Old Testament that we need to hold onto;

8 He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.

Isaiah 25:8 (NLT)

Don’t be afraid to cry when life weighs on you or in moments of joy whatever the cause tears are part of our nature and in time God has promised through His Son Jesus to one day wipe them all away. I pray God blesses you today and everyday as you walk in the light of His Word.

Faith in the Name

3-22-12

16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

Acts 3:16 (NLT)

16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Acts 3:16 (ESV)

When we walk through life as a Christian we often hear and see individuals who will tell us we have to have faith if we desire to see God work miracles in our own lives and those around us. This is true and many times we fail to grab hold of this idea and we find ourselves wondering if healing is possible. You know the word healing is not just about the physical body. It also applies to our relationships, finances and any other area in your life that brings you pain or sorrow. Do you see in this passage something that we often overlook? The man who was made well; he was not healed because of his own faith but because of Peter and John’s faith. They brought healing to this man not for their glory but to bring glory to Jesus. Sometimes I look at those who are working for God and wonder if they have forgotten who they serve and what God has done for them. Humility is something that seems to be dying in our churches today. It is alright to have pride in ones accomplishments but at what cost. Is it worth causing your brother to stumble; will you be willing to stand before God on the Day of Judgment and receive what you are owed. We must always remember where our strength and power really comes from.  As Christians we do nothing in our own power and our name will not ever save or heal someone. It requires we have faith in the name of Jesus and only in His name can people be made whole. Today who are you drawing your strength and power from? Is your hope found in what you can do or is it based on the faith you have in Jesus the only Son of God? I challenge you to be humble in your walk and allow Jesus to be who others see and experience in all that you do. I saw a T-shirt yesterday that I really liked; it said on the front; “Be like the moon”, on the back it said, “Reflect the Son” that is all we are really able to do. Live humbly, walk confidently and love passionately  as you walk in the light of God’s Word.

Hope in the Invisible

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)

We often quote these scriptures; especially verse 17 but you know I have to wonder if we don’t miss the best part of it when we fail to look at verse 18. You know life really is about focus and the choices we make about where to look. Do you realize everything that you are able to see today was once part of the invisible world? It was an idea or concept that was once created within the mind of someone. From the car you drive to the computer you are sitting at these were once all part of the invisible world of thoughts and ideas. The world itself was created by the invisible; it was God’s idea and plan for you and me. But he has more planned than we can see from our present position. It is easy to say that but hard to imagine if you are sitting in the middle of a trial today. All we can see is what is right before us. We often struggle with just making it through each day. I want to tell you that unless God calls you home today or the trumpet sounds there is hope for tomorrow and for right now. Nothing you can do will stop time from and tomorrow will come. You will be able to have a fresh start if you will change your focus from what you can see and instead hold onto what you have not yet seen but have been promised. We do it every day. We tell ourselves if I can finish what I am doing I am going to get this. We understand hoping for the future the question is will we apply it to the trials of our lives and hope for the day when what is invisible to us now will be visible and  last forever. May you be blessed today and everyday as you walk in the Light of God’s Word.

Rescued From The Grave

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

Psalms 117:1-2 (ESV)

You know it is a great day to praise God. It might be that you are in a trial or a situation you would rather not be in. That is the way life is at times. Yet if you are reading this you are already blessed see you were blessed today with life. You have the ability to breath, read and think. God is allowing you time to work on what he has called you too. He is allowing you the opportunity to serve Him and to worship Him. You see in Psalm 30 King David shares wisdom with us:

1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.3 You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. 4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.

Psalms 30:1-4 (NLT)

Today you have been rescued; you have received a day of relief, a day of hope. My question for you is will you be thankful for it and are you giving God the praise He is do; or will you squander the blessings of God, and be put to shame one day when you stand before Him giving account of the time He has blessed you with. Time is something that we measure but we cannot control. The clock continues to tick and we must run the race that God has placed before us. Believe me it’s not a sprint but a marathon; and there is no catching a bus to get to the finish line, we must run our race. If we will remember to praise God in it; He has promised to rescue us from the grave. I honestly believe those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior never taste death. That is reason enough to honor and praise God no matter the trail we face today. Have a truly blessed day as you walk in the Light of God’s Word.

Hope For Today

I know this looks like a lot of Scripture and it is but you may never read Lamentations any other time so this is what God has laid on my heart to share with you today. This book of the bible is believed to have been written by Jeremiah and is probably why he carries the title of The Weeping Prophet.

1 I am the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger.2 He has led me into darkness, shutting out all light.3 He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones.5 He has besieged and surrounded me with anguish and distress.6 He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead. 7 He has walled me in, and I cannot escape. He has bound me in heavy chains.8 And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers.9 He has blocked my way with a high stone wall; he has made my road crooked. 10 He has hidden like a bear or a lion, waiting to attack me.11 He has dragged me off the path and torn me in pieces, leaving me helpless and devastated.12 He has drawn his bow and made me the target for his arrows. 13 He shot his arrows deep into my heart.14 My own people laugh at me. All day long they sing their mocking songs.15 He has filled me with bitterness and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink.
16 He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust.17 Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is.18 I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” 19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.

Lamentations 3:1-20 (NLT)

I believe there probably comes a time in every life that we as Christians feel as Jeremiah did. As if God has decided to forsake us and bring us nothing but trouble and misery. We often see it as punishment for the sins in our lives and we allow our hearts to become hard and turn our backs on God thinking that it can’t be any worse without Him. Sometimes we might claim it to be as we are trying to serve Him. Thankfully Jeremiah does not end the testimony on this note. He brings us a place of hope and we can all us that.

21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.

Lam 3:21-26 (NLT)

It is not easy but those of us who call on the name of Jesus; we must find our hope in Him. We cannot turn to the world and think that it will be able to provide a hope for us. Our only real hope will be found in the Lord Jesus. Do you trust in Him? I challenge you to walk in the light of His Word holding on to each promise you find there. He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you that is a great place to find hope for today. Have a blessed day as you walk in the light of His Word.

From Terrible to Awesome

Psalm 47:3 In Hebrew

ג כִּי-יְהוָה עֶלְיוֹן נוֹרָא; מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל, עַל-כָּל-הָאָרֶץ.

One English Translation

3 For the LORD is most high, awful; a great King over all the earth.

In King James

2 For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

Psalms 47:2 (KJV)

In the English Standard Version

2 For the Lord, the Most High is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.

Psalms 47:2 (ESV)

In the New Living Translation

2 For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.

Psalms 47:2 (NLT)

I was afraid to look at the Message Bible. Has something changed in our God or have we changed the way we view Him. Is He now user friendly; so that people are no longer offended by Him? You know it’s funny to me and a little sad that we read this; you see God does not change:

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.

Mal 3:6 (NLT)

This passage reads the same in all translations. God is never changing and we need to accept that fact. In my job I occasionally work in areas that have extremely high voltage. I have been taught to fear that in a respectful way. That fear has probably saved my life on several occasions. Now if I had approached those same situations with the mindset that electricity was awesome and something really cool but lacking a fear and understanding of what the consequences could be. I might not be writing this to you today.

I want you to know; you and I do serve an awesome God, but we cannot assume that because He is so awesome He will allow us to live however and still provide blessings to us and in the end allow us to live in His presence. We must be willing to repent from our sins and accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for our sins. When we fail to do this no matter how awesome a God we serve we will be found wanting. God is required to hold us accountable for our sin. He has made away for each of us. The choice becomes yours. Do you fear God in a healthy manner understanding judgment waits for us all? Or is your God just so awesome; you believe He will let you slide on your sin. I challenge you come to know God in His word. You will see His ways are not our ways and His judgment is waiting. Have a blessed day, love one another and find a place to worship with your brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.

Contempt One For Another

A Song of Ascents.
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us. 3  Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

Psalms 123:1-4 (ESV)

Often the Psalms are written a little different than what you might think in your first reading of one. This Psalm is asking God to provide mercy to Israeli; because as His chosen people, all the other nations in the world have contempt for them. This is true even today.  In many ways the church today and each individual who professes Jesus as Lord faces these same issues.

The word contempt caught my mind as I read this scripture and I had to think about what that means to my walk as a Christian. You see the word contempt means to have disdain towards someone or something, it means to be despised or disgraced.  Why would that apply to our lives as Christians? Well to be honest often we will find ourselves on the receiving end of contempt when we try to live a life of holiness and service to God. Not just from the outside world but also from our fellow Christians. You see jealousy breeds contempt. When we see one person or group appearing to be blessed; we often out of our flesh, begin to have issues with the individual who is being blessed. You know it’s funny to a point but also a little sad; but that same person you have mercy on when they are struggling. Will be the person you resent the most when God delivers them out of their trials. We may find ourselves living in contempt of those who seem to be favored by the pastor or staff. You might have been doing a job in the church for years and someone new comes along and you see yourself being replaced. All these issues bring contempt to our walks and in that contempt we open opportunities for the devil to work in and around us. It works from the top down and the bottom up we can all fall into this pattern and when it happens the body of Christ will struggle and can even fail. I ask you today are you harboring contempt for a brother or sister in Christ? If the answer is yes; don’t you think it’s time to ask God to bring His grace and mercy into the situation? Since contempt comes from our own desires; forgiveness must also begin with us. We must allow God to begin a change in our own heart and as He works on us He will remove those issues that lead to contempt. I pray you have a truly blessed day as you walk in the light of His word.

Fight or Flight

47 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.48 Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?49 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.

Mark 14:47-50 (NLT)

As we read this passage we need to see the transition from fight to flight and ask ourselves a question. If we live our lives as Christians what do we do when we find ourselves in this situation? Your scratching your head I know; let me explain. As a Christian we are to be about what Jesus taught and following the instruction found in the Bible. We should be willing to defend it and fight for it and all the principles it teaches should be how we live our lives. The problem is too often we do just as the apostles did and we runaway when trouble comes when people tell us we cannot read our bible in public or that religious values have no place outside your home or church, what do we do? Do we argue the value of our relationship with Jesus with the world or do we allow them to drive us away. The Bible is wonderful when you need to illustrate an idea God has one waiting in His word.

51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Mark 14:51-52 (ESV)

You know we have more than a linen cloth on us when we have the word of God applied to our lives. We are equipped with armor He has given us a sword, breast plate, helmet and he has even guarded our feet for the work He has for us. Yet more often than not we are the young man running away naked because we allow the world to tell us when and where God is appropriate. You know this translation of scripture reads, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?” You know in truth Jesus was and is the greatest revolutionary ever. His name has changed more lives than any other name and whole countries and cultures have been changed because of Him. Are we going to learn to stand for Jesus or are we going to runaway naked and afraid? Today as you go through your day I challenge you to apply God’s word to your situation; allow the Holy Spirit, to direct you and walk in the light of His word. Have a blessed day.