Thursday, December 31, 2009

Being Held Captive

The year 2009 is ending and we are moving into a new year. Perhaps 2009 was not a good year for you, but God assures us that we still have a hope and future, for He is always with us.

The one thing we do know is that God holds the future. He is in total control of the future and our destiny. Humans are creatures created by God, created in His image, to do His will.

The Jewish people were God's very special people. Today we are privileged to be God's own special people, because of His son, Jesus Christ, and our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Saviour.

In the book of Jeremiah, the Jewish people, who had been exiled in Babylon, were coming back to Jerusalem. The prophet, Jeremiah, has been instructed by the Lord, to tell the Jewish people this: "This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:10-11.

Here God is letting them know that even though they will be in captivity for 70 years, He is still their God and He still has plans and a future for them. In the same way, God lets us know that while 2009 may not have been a great year and we have been in captivity to our ways, He still has a hope and a future for us.

Commentary: We all are encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows the future, and his plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God, who knows the future, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill his mission, we can have boundless hope. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, sufferng or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion.

All we have to do is believe and trust God with all the details of our lives.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

What's in a Promise?

Recently I decided to research the definition of the word, "promise." Not having a dictionary handy, I used the internet for a definition of the word, which came up with several meanings:

1) vow: to assure somebody that something will certainly happen or be done;
2) pledge something: to spledge to somebody to provide or do something;
3) make somebody expect something: to cause somebody to expect something;
4) a assure or warn somebody: to assure or warn somebody that something is true or inevitable.

I want to examine the first meaning: vow: to assure somebody that something will certainly happen or be done.

Two of my closest friends in Tuskegee, Alabama gave me a scripture for my birthday that I hold close and dear to my heart, and it comes from the book of Isaiah 40:31. It states: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles."

The book of Isaish is the first of the writings of the Prophets in the Bible, and Isaiah, the author, is generally considered to be the greatest prophet. The prophet's role was to speak for God, confronting the people and their leaders with God's commands and promises.

This promise has prolific consequences. Hoping in the Lord is expecting that God's promise of strength will help them to rise above life's distractions and difficulties. It also means trusting in God. Trusting helps us to be prepared when he speaks to us. Then we will be patient when he asks us to wait and expect him to fulfill the promises found in his Word.

The eagle is often mentioned throughout the Bible. The eagle has great significance as well as it being considered a magnificient bird. Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. The eagle does not escape the storm, it simply uses the storm to lift it higher.

When the storms of life come upon us...and all of us will experience them...we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God.

God always keeps his promises. He is not like man, who will promise, and then break his promise. God never takes back or changes His promises. In Psalm 89:34, he says, "No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back one word of what I said."

None of God's promises ever fail. If God promises, it will come to pass because only God can do the impossible. In Luke 18:27, Jesus said, "what is impossible with men is possible with God."

Thought for this message: The storms do not have to overcome us, we can allow God's power to lift us above them. We can wait upon the Lord and renew our strength because God is with us, and he will not let his Word fail.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Misguided Love

"Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness." Ecclesiastes 5:10-11

I find the book of Ecclesiastes one of the most profound books in the bible written by King Solomon who had everything a man's heart desired, but even he found that life apart from God was meaningless!

Isn't it something to have everything your heart desires, and to be the wisest man in the world, and not have joy! How misguided is that love, a love for all the riches in the world, and not have happiness?

Pursuing riches more vigorously than a relationship with God will lead you to only one place - an impoverished life. (Even if your bank account seems to say otherwise!) Instead of focusing on money, focus on God, the source of wealth.

Thank him for how he has blessed you, and share what he has so generously given. You will find yourself rich in joy and contentment.

Money promises more than it can ever deliver. God will never do that to you. The treasures he promises his children are both certain and eternal.

Love focuses on what it desires. When your desire God, you spend your time and energy getting to know him better and doing what pleases him. When you desire money, you spend your time and energy fueling an atmostphe of greed, instead of nurturing a sense of contentment. A deep desire for wealth can tempt you to do things you normally wouldn't consider, like cheating, lying or stealing. You don't need to do anything illegal to fall for temptations like these.

All it takes is holding on to the riches God has given you with a tight grip instead of opening your arms, and hoarding your blessings instead of sharing them.

What joy God has promised us if we just put our focus on Him!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Pray Without Ceasing

I am reminded constantly for the need to pray and talk with the Saviour, who makes intercession for me to the Father. The bible tells us to "pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17. God loves for us to commune with Him. My husband tells me that God does not want our leftovers, he doesn't want to be second in our lives; he wants first place.

Prayer is time spent with God. There is no one right way or place to pray. You can pray sitting down, standing up, or lying in bed. You can pray before you eat or sleep, at the beginning of the day or at the end. You can pray moment by moment as you work or play, or as you stand in line at the supermarket.

You may shout your prayer, whisper it, or commune with God in absolute silence. You may put it to music and sing it, or write it in a private journal. Any time, anywhere, for any reason, it is appropriate to pray.

We may not spend all our time on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times. This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing his presence within us, and determining to obey him fully.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

What Christians Should Do

I like to think of myself as a student of the Word of God. One of my favorite scriptures is in the book of Colossians where I am reminded of Rules for Holy Living.

In Colossians 3:1-4 states: "Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Setting your heart on things above means striving to put heaven's priorities into daily practice. Setting your minds on things above means concentrating on the eternal rather than the temporal. "For you died" means that we should have as little desire for this world as a dead person would have. The Christian's real home is where Christ lives (John 14:2,3). This view gives us a different perspective on our lives here on earth. To "set your minds on things above" means to look at life from God's perspective and to seek what He desires.

By setting my heart and mind on things above has given me the peace and joy that God wants me to experience while here on earth. Being a student of the Word of God fills my heart with the love of God by knowing the truths which are set forth in the Bible.