Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Time To Endure Trials

The Lord molds His children in proportion to their willingness to be shaped for divinely appointed work.

The only evidence of a sovereign, loving God was that we consistently prospered even during times of trouble.

We can look at the life of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and eventually became the second highest ranking official next to the Pharaoh of Egypt. How does one go from being a free man to a slave, to being jailed and then being the Prime Minister? God placed these circumstances on Joseph in order to save his chosen people, the Israelites. Had God not molded Joseph through all these periods of slavery and confinement, he may have missed the opportunities God had for him and for God's chosen people. (Genesis, chapters 30-45)

We too have to forsake our human pride because pride can lead us to our downfall. In Joseph's case, his brothers were extremely jealous of him because of a dream he had. They did not appreciate their father's favoritism towards Joseph. His brothers did not like what they believed to be Joseph's arrogance. Even in slavery and in prison, Joseph humbled himself before His God, having faith and trusting that God would eventually deliver him. Faith is the most important thing.

We cannot rely on our strength to get us through tough times. Human pride is a potent force that must be uprooted before we can be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Asking God to carry you through a situation or trial, may appear as a weakness, but relying on your own strength is an admission that you can do it without God's help.

I think also of three young men mentioned in the book of Daniel, Chapter 3. They held very prominent positions within the Babylonian government. All three young men refused to bow down to an image of gold they King had made, and they were condemned to a fiery death by fire. But God intervened and spared their lives. What I learned new was that God was in that fire with them! I had never recognized this before.

King Nebuchadnezzar had thrown them into a heated furnace, heated seven times hotter than usual had them tied up, and thrown in the furnace with all their clothes on. The King's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who threw the three men into the fire

Suddenly the King looked up and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw in the first?' (Daniel 3:24) They agreed with the King. The King then said, "Look, I see four men walking around in the first, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." There was God right in the midst of the fire!

King Nebuchadnezzar than approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" They came out of the fire and the fire had not harmed their bodies or their clothes or hair and no smell of fire was on them. (v.26)

The Most High God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego honored His servants by protecting them. They refused to submit to golden images and even though they had lost their prominent positions and the prestige that goes with it, their God was still with them. In the fire. God is with us also as we go through our sufferings, trials, lost of jobs, lost of prestige. The one thing to remember is He is in the first with us.

We are just going through, it will not last forever. He is preparing us for something greater, something divine, something for which he will receive the glory, not man.

The stories of both Joseph and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego continue to be favorites of mine because God has brought me through many trials and tribulations. For that, I am thankful. Trials strengthen us. We know we are not alone in our trials. God is always in the midst and he wants the glory for helping us get through our trials.

Thought for Today: Thank God that He is in the fire with you! You are not alone.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Heaven Is Our Home

1 John 4:15-17 says,

"All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them.
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the
day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus
here in this world."

Thought for Today: Heaven is our home. Live like you are going there.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Timing Is Important

Lesson Text: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Verse 1 states"There is a time for everything, and a season for every purpose under heaven."

My commentary says that timing is important. Why is timing important? The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God's perfect timing. The danger is to doubt or resent God's timing.

We want what we want when we want it. We don't want to wait on anyone, we don't wait on God. We don't like to pray and seek God's advice. We just want to do it our way, on our timing.

There is a problem with this because it can lead to despair, we can become despondent. It can lead to rebellion and rebellion causes us a problem with God; it shows we don't trust God. We move without seeking God's advice first. Bad decision, bad choices.

One of the hardest things I have had to learn is patience. I am still learning it and I guess God is wondering what is wrong with that woman! Doesn't she get it? I am in charge! I have struggled with patience the majority of my life but I continue to pray and ask God for help in this area. In His time, He will help me overcome this problem with patience.

In the book of James 5:16b, it says that the"earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." Persistent, righteous, power, wonderful results. Key words to which we must pay attention. We must keep asking; we must come to God with clean hearts, we receive power when we come this way and when we do, we get wonderful results.

King Solomon in writing the book of Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything. You must read Chapter 3:1-8, it is rather long and I won't recite all the verses here, but I do encourage you to read them, as it will put everything in perspective.

I am reminded by reading these verses that "every day regardless of the weather or circumstances of our life is a gift from God to be used for His glory." So when we glorify God in our living, we learn to wait on His timing, His guidance, and His direction.

Author Ron Ash puts it like this: "We are where we need to be and learning what we need to learn. Stay the course because the things we experience today will lead us to where God needs us to be tomorrow." So don't begin your day as usual. Begin your day with prayer so God can guide and direct you to where He needs you the most.

Scripture says, "The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path." (Psalm 119:105) This would not be in the Bible if God wanted us to guide ourselves.

In every season, there is a reason to rejoice and an opportunity to do good. Challenge yourselves to rejoice and do good and then to do them both.

The Christian's most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer. The results are often greater than we think. Some people use prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is backward. Prayer should come first because God's power is infinitely greater than ours and especially so because God encourages us to pray.

Thought for Today: Keep praying, God's listening. His timing is always perfect.

Monday, April 19, 2010

The Second Commandment

Lesson: Matthew 22:34-40

In the book of Matthew 22 the Pharisees are attempting to trick Jesus and discredit him as a person. So they send a lawyer, one who is suppose to be knowledgeable in the law given by Moses and the prophets.

Verse 34 states that "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together". Verse 35 says" that one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him and saying", Verse 36, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"

What is interesting is Jesus response.

Verse 37 states that "Jesus said unto him, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Verse 38 says, This is the first and great commandment. Verse 39 , "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Verse 40 concludes with "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

The lawyer knew or should have known this.

Jesus cited the Jewish confession of faith found in Deuteronomy 6:5, the principle under girding all the specific commands. All those of the Jewish faith were taught early by their mothers, or family, or temple teachers so they would be well acquainted with the law and the prophets.

To love God with all one's mind is to use all reasoning and reflection to bring glory to Him.

We want to receive all the glory, not God. How can we love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind? The majority of religions claim that God is universal and that we all believe in the same thing. Not true. We all don't believe the same thing. Christians believe that God sent His only Son in the flesh to die for our sins. We don't worship animals or have animal sacrifices. Christ was the human sacrifice and his death and resurrection redeemed us before His Father, God.

Then Jesus gave the second commandment which in Verse 39 commands us to "love thy neighbour as thyself."

This is the commandment that is so difficult for every religion, even Christianity. We don't want to give up our seat or our pew in church to a stranger or even to each other. How does that show love for our neighbor?

The second command was to be fulfilled in respect to other Jews. But Jesus applied it to all mankind. The command to love one's neighbor is like the command to love God in more than one way.

First, it requires love, as the first commandment does. And the love demanded for our neighbor is just as exacting as our love for God, for we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We do not need to be reminded to love ourselves. That comes naturally but to expend the same wholehearted care and concern on our neighbor is a herculean task. It takes effort and it is what God desires of us!

This points out a second connection between the two commands: we cannot adequately fulfill the second one without fulfilling the first.

God demonstrated love even to His enemies. We, as children of God, are to prove ourselves as His children, and are expectged to do the same thing. The world is in the predicament it is in today because of hatred not love of their neighbors. Those who claim to love God and hate their neighbor are liars and are not friends of God. So how can we all believe in the same God who is universal to all mankind?

How can one love the invisible God, yet hate His visible image-bearer? (1 John 4:20)

Indeed, anyone who recognizes that love for God and neighbor is the essence of what God requires is not far from the kingdom. Only a heart that is transformed by God's grace can possibly recognized such love.

Thought for Today: Pray that all mankind might come to love his neighbor so that we can truly be at peace with one another.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

The Importance of Entering the Temple of the Lord

I am always amazed how much I learn every time I enter the House of the Lord.

I am away from my church home but I make it a point to visit a church where I am currently living. The benefits of going to church are greater than I can express but let me try to share with you what I recently learned. The sermon I heard was on the importance of attending church. Oddly, I had missed a couple of Sundays and this sermon is what I needed to hear on that day.

One of the reasons many people do not attend church is that they are too hurried. They don't have time to attend church service; it is not important to fellowship with other Christians. Maybe they are not Christians; maybe they have a different belief. At any rate, they are just too busy doing their own thing.

The Pastor of the church I attended preached from the book of Isaiah.

The book of Isaiah, Chapters 36 and 37 tells the story about the Assyrian king threatening the Jewish king. King Hezekiah is now the reigning king of Judah and Jerusalem. The Assyrian King is threatening to cut off the water supply in Judah and Jerusalem and he is telling King Hezekiah to just turn over the city and country to him. King Hezekiah is one of the few good kings that has been reigning over a portion of Israel, Judah and Jerusalem. The kingdom of Israel is split between two kings at this point in the history of the Jewish people. The leadership of Judah is being threatened; King Hezekiah has been humiliated before his own people; he has been insulted by this foreign king; the Jewish people are frightened because of the threats made towards their King. The Lord told King Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah not to be afraid of the threats of the Assyrian King.

In Chapter 37, verse 1 it says: "when King Hezekiah heard this (the report from his officers), he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord."

When you are at the end of your wits and you can't find a solution to your problem or problems, you had better go into the temple of the Lord! Why is that?

1) You need to dwell in the God's presence. You need a time out to get your thoughts together.

2) You need to be lifted out of your situation into the presence of God.

3) You need to get a different perspective of yourself and your problem. God can
fix your life.

4) You need a dose of supernatural power. Power that man does not possess. God
can open doors.

You don't have to tear off your clothes and put on sackcloth like King Hezekiah did, as this was a custom that the Jewish people did to demonstrate their grief over a situation or a predicament, but you need to reverence your God in a time of trouble! All you need to do is enter the temple of the Lord and be in the presence of the Lord.

King Hezekiah knew from whom his strength came and he knew that God was on his side. The Word of God assures all believers that God will never leave or forsake them.

Chapter 37:36 says, "then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!" Now, how awesome is that?

God would defend Jerusalem for the sake of His honor. Assyria had not only insulted King Hezekiah but had also insulted God. What Jerusalem could not possibly do, God would do for them. God is prepared to do the impossible if we trust Him enough to ask.

Thought for Today: God can do the impossible; we need a fresh perspective and we need to enter the temple of the living God.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Why Does God Need to Prune Us?

The main reasons for pruning, according to an article I recently read, is for safety, health, and aesthetics. Now these are the reasons why trees or flowers or other plants need to be prune. However, it is interesting that God is referred in the Bible as a gardener and his kindgom is the vineyard. Grapes were very significant in the Bible and are mentioned often throughout the Word of God. Many Jewish farmers maintained grape vineyards.

I received a daily devotional via email that discussed a lesson in pruning and the scripture that was mentioned was John 15:1-4 which says, "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the Word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

In order words, Christ is the vine, and God is the gardener who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. Why is it important to be fruitful?

The branches are all those who claim to be followers who by their living union with Christ produce much fruit. But those who become unproductive --- those who turn back from following Christ after making a superficial commitment --- will be separated from the vine.

Unproductive followers of Christ are as good as dead and will be cut off and tossed aside.

Jesus makes a distinction between two kinds of pruning (1) separating and (2) cutting back branches. Now some of you may know a little or maybe a lot about gardening and trees. I have a good friend who can tell me anything and everything about every tree. She loves trees. She knows the trees by name.

Well, just like my friend, Jesus loves all those who have come to him and profess to be followers of his. He also knows them by their name.

Fruitful branches are cut back to promote growth. This affects the health of a tree or a vineyard, as we are talking about in the scriptures. In other words, God must sometimes discipline us to strengthen our character and faith. But branches that don't bear fruit are cut off at the trunk because not only are they worthless, but they often infect the rest of the tree. People who won't bear fruit for God or who try to block the efforts of God's followers will be cut off from his life-giving power.

Remaining in Christ means (1) believing that he is God's son, (2) receiving him as Savior and Lord, (3) doing what God says, (4) continuing to believe the gospel, and (5) relating in love to the community of believers, Christ's body. (1 John 15:12) We cannot bear fruit if we are separated from God.

I am emphasizing pruning for health because it involves removing diseased or insect infested wood and pruning can best be used to encourage trees to develop a strong structure. This is what God does when pruning us, in order to get a plentiful crop of spiritual fruit, God must remove anything that distracts or deters us from serving Him.

Sometimes the process is often painful. Just like a grower must prune an apple tree to get a bountiful harvest. In the same way, God must sometimes let us feel pain so He can bring forth greater growth and more spiritual fruit.

It has been said that in order to reduce the need for pruning, it is best to consider a tree's natural form. It is very difficult to impose an unnatural form on a tree without a commitment to constant maintenance. For God to get what He needs from us as followers of Christ, He must ensure that we receive the proper care and maintenance that we need to develop as good Christians. We get that from studying the Word of God and being in a Bible teaching church.

Thought for Today: God prunes us to cut away a fleshly habit or worldly attitude.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

The Difference Between a Talent and A Spiritual Gift

Often when I watch the various TV awards, I hear athletes and entertainers thank God for winning an award in their specialized fields. It is good to thank God for our natural talent and I am not taking anything away from that but are we glorifying God or ourselves? Sometimes we can get confused about our talent and the purpose it serves. Our purpose is to serve God since we are His creation.

It is important to know the difference between a talent and a spiritual gift, and knowing if we are using our talents or spiritual gifts to glorify God.

I want to get right down to it: the distinction between a talent and a spiritual gift.

1) A talent is the result of genetics and/or training, while a spiritual gift is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit.

2) A talent can be possessed by anyone, Christian or non-Christian, while spiritual gifts are only possessed by Christians.

3) While both talents and spiritual gifts should be used for God's glory and to minister to others, spiritual gifts are focused on these tasks, while talents can be used entirely for non-spiritual purposes.

Both are gifts from God. Both grow in effectiveness with use. Both are intended to be used on behalf of others, not for selfish purposes.

1 Corinthians 12:7 states that spiritual gifts are given to benefit others and not ourselves. Spiritual gifts are given to all believers by the Holy spirit at the time they place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. At that moment, the Holy 'spirit gives to the new believer the spiritual gift(s) He desires the believer to have.

What are some of the spiritual gifts? They are as follows: prophecy, serving others (in a general sense), teaching, exhorting, generosity, leadership, and showing mercy.

While one may develop his talents and later direct his profession or hobby, along these lines, spiritual gifts were given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of Christ's church. In fact, all Christians have an an active role in the furtherance of the gospel of Christ. Our spiritual gifts are used to glorify God and not ourselves.

All are called and equipped to be involved in the "work of the ministry." All are gifted so that they can contribute to the cause of Christ out of gratitude for all He has done for them. In doing so, they also find fulfillment in life through their labor for Christ.

It is the job of church leaders to help build up the saints so they can be further equipped for the ministry to which God has called them. Ephesians 4:10-12 speaks of God giving to His church apostles, prophets, evangelist, and pastor-teachers.

Again, our talent, time, and tithes are to be used to glorify God and to help build up the body Christ. God knew us before we were born and He knew exactly how he planned to use each and every one of us to serve His purposes and His plan.

Thought for Today: Realize that you were made for God.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Earth Is the Lord's

There are so many stations on TV today that are devoted to telling a person how they can get rich, how they can get more wealth, and there are so many people who are taken in by these schemes. It is a sadness how gullible we are and how our focus is all wrong.

Yesterday, I came across a scripture that reminded me that the Bible is very specific about God's view about money, how we are to acquire money, how we should give money, and how we should spend money. There are over 2,000 scriptures on the subject of money and instructions about finances. Why is that? Because money plays an important role in our lives. Understanding God's viewpoint on our possessions can prevent us from making costly mistakes.

Psalm 24:1 says this: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it."

Now this is pretty solid. Everything belongs to God; we belong to God. Everything we own, our possessions, are a gift from God. In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon who had all the riches in the world, wrote, "whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10) He said it was all meaningless. Solomon had everything a man desired and still he was never content.

We always want more than we have. Solomon observed that those who love money and seek it obsessively never find the happiness it promises. Wealth also attracts freeloaders and thieves, causes sleeplessness and fear, and ultimately ends in loss because it must be left behind. No matter how much you earn, if you try to create happiness by accumulating wealth, you will never have enough.

It is important to remember that even though God blesses us with the health and ability to make money, He is still the source and owner of all wealth.

This psalm also reminds us that we are only stewards or caretakers of what God allows us to own. We should be committed to the proper management of this world and its resources, but we are not to become devoted to anything created or act as sole proprietors because this world will pass away. (1 John 2:17)

Wealth is temporary. You can gain so much wealth and be very prosperous, but in your lifetime on earth, you may never have an opportunity to enjoy it. It will go to someone else to spend after all your hard work to gain it.

Now money in itself isn't wrong, but loving money leads to all sorts of sin. Whatever financial situation you are in, don't depend on money to make you happy. Instead use what you have for the Lord.

1 John 2:17 says, "the world and its desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

When our attachment to possessions is strong, it's hard to believe that what we want will one day pass away. It may be even harder to believe that the person who does the will of God will live forever. Knowing that this evil world and our desires will end should give us courage to control our greedy and self-indulgent behavior and to continue doing God's will.

God desires for us to have the money we need. We not necessarily be rich by the world's standards, but when we are doing God's will by being generous, the Lord will provide for us. God will provide us with money for food, clothing, and other basic needs.

Dr. Charles Stanley stated in one of his sermons that we should be careful because "financial blessings can turn into a snare if we aren't careful." Many of the proverbs warns us not to wear ourselves out to become rich because wealth is often fleeting. (Proverbs 23:4-5)

God enables us to enjoy His blessings each day we wake up, so give and share with others, that way you are doing the will of God. When we share our abundance with others, God blesses us with more.

Thought for Today: Money has specific purposes and one of those purposes is to build up the Kingdom of God.