"This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that His testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." John 21:24-25
It is a good thing to trust the stories in the Bible that you have read, and it is a good thing to apply what you have read in order to receive the power that is in the written word. Within scripture are contained all the necessary components to provide for your salvation, sanctification and secure eternal life as well as instruction for living a godly life every day until you die.
But as you draw conclusions, don't forget that what is written in scripture was never meant to be all that happened or all that was consequential. No way. God cannot be fully disclosed in the pages of a book nor in volumes of books even if the volumes of books were to fill the entire world.
Every moment in time God is intertwining the prayers of one with the needs of another, the giving of one with the destitution of another, the solace of one with the loss of another, the riches of one with the poverty of another, the strength of one with the weakness of another, the courage of one with the cowardice of another, the godliness of one with the unrighteousness of another, the happiness of one with the sadness of another, the birth of a new vision of one with the loss of everything with another, the kindness of one with the meanness of another, the gentleness of one with the anger of another, the laughter of one with the crying of another, the stedfastness of one with the brokenness of another.
If all that Jesus ever did for you was what He has already done, it would be more than you can imagine and more than you deserve. What Jesus has already done for us cannot be done by anybody else nor could it be understood or revealed in our finite minds. What Jesus has in mind for you for the rest of your days, if written in books, would also take up more space than the world provides. When you think of what Jesus has done for you, how many volumes does it make?
Monday, April 7, 2014
Daily Devotional April 6 - Find your place in God's economy
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." Psalm 37:7
Fret not means, don't grow angry or jealous or discouraged and get all caught up in what is happening around you or to you. Wait patiently on the Lord. Rest in the inner knowledge that God has it covered, under control, within prescribed parameters, that God is fully aware of your entire situation, yesterday, today and tomorrow and God is working out the details. Fretting does not and cannot bring about any results. It is an emotional response with no efficacy. Trusting God on the other hand, has power in it, in that, trust is built upon faith, and faith is a real substance that does have efficacy.
Keep your focus. You are responsible for your actions, not others. Sometimes what appears to be someone 'prospering in the way' is actually someone being disobedient to God and reaping a few moments of perceived prosperity. But God is with you for the long haul and the long haul is the one that reveals a persons true character and relationship with God. I've seen many Christians jump at any chance to get rich as if getting rich were an honorable goal. Getting rich by honest pursuits, with hard work, personal integrity and godly stewardship is an honorable goal. But getting rich as a goal is not for everyone, nor is it supposed to be or ever was supposed to be part of the Christian manifesto.
There will always be rich Christians, middle income Christians and poor Christians. Finding your place in God's economy and being satisfied there is true riches. Knowing who you are and finding your place in life, whether it is to be as an engineer or doctor, car mechanic, tire salesman, housewife or lawyer is where true riches are born. If it wasn't for all the advertisements you are exposed to everyday, you would already know that riches are within and have nothing to do with material wealth.
You are already anointed to do and to be all that God intended you to be. Keep your eyes on your relationship with God and seek Him out for your answers. Get your eyes off of what others have and you will have nothing to fret about.
Fret not means, don't grow angry or jealous or discouraged and get all caught up in what is happening around you or to you. Wait patiently on the Lord. Rest in the inner knowledge that God has it covered, under control, within prescribed parameters, that God is fully aware of your entire situation, yesterday, today and tomorrow and God is working out the details. Fretting does not and cannot bring about any results. It is an emotional response with no efficacy. Trusting God on the other hand, has power in it, in that, trust is built upon faith, and faith is a real substance that does have efficacy.
Keep your focus. You are responsible for your actions, not others. Sometimes what appears to be someone 'prospering in the way' is actually someone being disobedient to God and reaping a few moments of perceived prosperity. But God is with you for the long haul and the long haul is the one that reveals a persons true character and relationship with God. I've seen many Christians jump at any chance to get rich as if getting rich were an honorable goal. Getting rich by honest pursuits, with hard work, personal integrity and godly stewardship is an honorable goal. But getting rich as a goal is not for everyone, nor is it supposed to be or ever was supposed to be part of the Christian manifesto.
There will always be rich Christians, middle income Christians and poor Christians. Finding your place in God's economy and being satisfied there is true riches. Knowing who you are and finding your place in life, whether it is to be as an engineer or doctor, car mechanic, tire salesman, housewife or lawyer is where true riches are born. If it wasn't for all the advertisements you are exposed to everyday, you would already know that riches are within and have nothing to do with material wealth.
You are already anointed to do and to be all that God intended you to be. Keep your eyes on your relationship with God and seek Him out for your answers. Get your eyes off of what others have and you will have nothing to fret about.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Daily Devotional April 5 - Searching For Gems Wasn't Meant To Be Easy
"Oh LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." Psalm 104:24
The psalmist must have had a deep understanding of God to pen these words and all of Psalm 104. It would do you well to take time to get to know God in this way. I know from my own experience that it is easy to get caught up in the day to day, worldly pursuits and not take the time to see and grasp all that has been made for us. I was on a mountain cliff last night overlooking a long view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was breathtaking. It was overwhelming. I felt close to nature in a good way, but I sensed that we have not done well in working with nature to accomplish our human goals.
Even though I don't have the answers to how to stop our foolish pillaging of nature I do recognize its greatness. I see the wisdom of God built into nature. I know that God has made them all. I see the wisdom of it. I know the earth is full of His riches. I am so thankful that I have come to this place in my life where my surroundings have meaning. I hope you are not so caught up with what you are doing that you don't give any time to recognizing the glory of God in the many wonders that God made. I no this is a small thing, but the psalmists wrote about the mighty wonders of God's creation quite a lot and God allowed it to become our guidebook to life. Maybe there is more to connecting to the natural elements than we have previously acknowledged.
The earth is full of His riches. How wondrous are His creations and worthy of our acknowledgement. There's beauty at every turn. Look for it, find it and thank God for it.
The psalmist must have had a deep understanding of God to pen these words and all of Psalm 104. It would do you well to take time to get to know God in this way. I know from my own experience that it is easy to get caught up in the day to day, worldly pursuits and not take the time to see and grasp all that has been made for us. I was on a mountain cliff last night overlooking a long view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was breathtaking. It was overwhelming. I felt close to nature in a good way, but I sensed that we have not done well in working with nature to accomplish our human goals.
Even though I don't have the answers to how to stop our foolish pillaging of nature I do recognize its greatness. I see the wisdom of God built into nature. I know that God has made them all. I see the wisdom of it. I know the earth is full of His riches. I am so thankful that I have come to this place in my life where my surroundings have meaning. I hope you are not so caught up with what you are doing that you don't give any time to recognizing the glory of God in the many wonders that God made. I no this is a small thing, but the psalmists wrote about the mighty wonders of God's creation quite a lot and God allowed it to become our guidebook to life. Maybe there is more to connecting to the natural elements than we have previously acknowledged.
The earth is full of His riches. How wondrous are His creations and worthy of our acknowledgement. There's beauty at every turn. Look for it, find it and thank God for it.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Daily Devotional April 4 - Within You The Essence of God
"As ye therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Colossians 2:6-9
Good advice. Whatever you have been taught about Jesus, at least walk under the authority you have. If you have given in to a lesser life than what you have been taught, it's not too late to do something about it. Many of you were taught eternal truths and treat them like they are just another math lesson or biology lesson that you don't think you'll ever need. The youth of today that were brought up in church and think that they have now found another way..., well it's a sad commentary.
Many young people have bought the humanism philosophy that teaches that each of us create and provide for our own destiny, short term and long term. The seeds planted by the unbelieving professors and the feeling of breaking out from their parents hold are too much for them to fight against. Many are allowing their roots to rot. They are pruning the tree at the root and they are pasting on branches, leaves and flowers as if the plant grew up to be a strong tree without any roots. I hear it all the time; many think it is cool to make a multitude of friends and dis their parents. Oh, they will certainly act like they want to see them, but only a teen or young person would fall for such childish tactics, the parents know they are being looked down upon.
The Bible says "beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world..." The word 'spoil' isn't a simple word like we think of today , as in spoiling a child. This word means to go completely and utterly rotten, like compost, i. e., to decompose. "After the rudiments of the world," rudiments are the lowest level, the basest, most common and useless components. This is strong language. What a waste to fall for a false philosophy and fall after the lesser things in life when all along you have within you the very essence of God. You were brought up to believe what God says and now you have supposedly found a better way?
Good advice. Whatever you have been taught about Jesus, at least walk under the authority you have. If you have given in to a lesser life than what you have been taught, it's not too late to do something about it. Many of you were taught eternal truths and treat them like they are just another math lesson or biology lesson that you don't think you'll ever need. The youth of today that were brought up in church and think that they have now found another way..., well it's a sad commentary.
Many young people have bought the humanism philosophy that teaches that each of us create and provide for our own destiny, short term and long term. The seeds planted by the unbelieving professors and the feeling of breaking out from their parents hold are too much for them to fight against. Many are allowing their roots to rot. They are pruning the tree at the root and they are pasting on branches, leaves and flowers as if the plant grew up to be a strong tree without any roots. I hear it all the time; many think it is cool to make a multitude of friends and dis their parents. Oh, they will certainly act like they want to see them, but only a teen or young person would fall for such childish tactics, the parents know they are being looked down upon.
The Bible says "beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world..." The word 'spoil' isn't a simple word like we think of today , as in spoiling a child. This word means to go completely and utterly rotten, like compost, i. e., to decompose. "After the rudiments of the world," rudiments are the lowest level, the basest, most common and useless components. This is strong language. What a waste to fall for a false philosophy and fall after the lesser things in life when all along you have within you the very essence of God. You were brought up to believe what God says and now you have supposedly found a better way?
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Daily Devotional April 3 - Let There Be Light
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." Genesis 1:3
This is one of my mother's favorite scriptures. Let's set the record straight. If you can't get through chapter one of Genesis and believe every word don't bother with sunrise service. Way too many people believe portions of the Bible and they claim that they are Christians. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. You don't have to know the Bible nor do you have to had read the whole Bible to be saved. God makes it clear in Ephesian 2:8 "For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." And in Romans 10:10 the scriptures say, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." And in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
But you have to believe what you read.
Back to the verse. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
If you get this verse, the whole Bible will open its volumes to you and you will have entered into a place of knowing with God. Think about light for a moment. It is visible and invisible; it is substance and no substance; it travels at 186,000 miles per second. That means that it takes only 8 minutes for the sun's light to reach the earth. Everything about light is mysterious, but to create light out of no thing...? To speak a word and create light...? That's what I mean, "if you can't get through chapter one of Genesis and believe every word don't bother with sunrise service."
Going to church and participating in religious gatherings is a beautiful thing and I believe everyone should be part of a local church and support it and assist in every way they can, no exceptions. But the Bible was written so you would get to know the God of church. If you don't believe the basics in the first few verses of Genesis, why would you believe any of it? It's all in the same book. God designed you to be infused with Himself and that doesn't happen unless you believe His report of Himself. The Bible is true, all of it and unless you can believe that, how can you be sure you believe any of it? How can you be sure that what you call religion isn't just conditioning? How can you be sure that what you learned isn't just cultural Christianity? NO. You can't be sure unless you believe it all. That's right:
Let there be light
The parting of the Red Sea
The Israelites wandering for forty years in what should have been an eight day's journey
The feeding with manna from heaven
Jonah in the belly of the big fish
Daniel in the lion's den
The virgin birth
The death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus
Entertaining angels unawares
Heaven as a place
Hell as a place
These aren't allegories, or stories with a hidden meaning. They are what happened and the Bible goes on to fully disclose what is going to happen.
I guarantee you that if you buy into the whole package, the entire Bible and you begin to believe every word that you read, you will find out that life any other way was a waste of your time. Let there be light in your heart.
This is one of my mother's favorite scriptures. Let's set the record straight. If you can't get through chapter one of Genesis and believe every word don't bother with sunrise service. Way too many people believe portions of the Bible and they claim that they are Christians. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. You don't have to know the Bible nor do you have to had read the whole Bible to be saved. God makes it clear in Ephesian 2:8 "For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." And in Romans 10:10 the scriptures say, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." And in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
But you have to believe what you read.
Back to the verse. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
If you get this verse, the whole Bible will open its volumes to you and you will have entered into a place of knowing with God. Think about light for a moment. It is visible and invisible; it is substance and no substance; it travels at 186,000 miles per second. That means that it takes only 8 minutes for the sun's light to reach the earth. Everything about light is mysterious, but to create light out of no thing...? To speak a word and create light...? That's what I mean, "if you can't get through chapter one of Genesis and believe every word don't bother with sunrise service."
Going to church and participating in religious gatherings is a beautiful thing and I believe everyone should be part of a local church and support it and assist in every way they can, no exceptions. But the Bible was written so you would get to know the God of church. If you don't believe the basics in the first few verses of Genesis, why would you believe any of it? It's all in the same book. God designed you to be infused with Himself and that doesn't happen unless you believe His report of Himself. The Bible is true, all of it and unless you can believe that, how can you be sure you believe any of it? How can you be sure that what you call religion isn't just conditioning? How can you be sure that what you learned isn't just cultural Christianity? NO. You can't be sure unless you believe it all. That's right:
Let there be light
The parting of the Red Sea
The Israelites wandering for forty years in what should have been an eight day's journey
The feeding with manna from heaven
Jonah in the belly of the big fish
Daniel in the lion's den
The virgin birth
The death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus
Entertaining angels unawares
Heaven as a place
Hell as a place
These aren't allegories, or stories with a hidden meaning. They are what happened and the Bible goes on to fully disclose what is going to happen.
I guarantee you that if you buy into the whole package, the entire Bible and you begin to believe every word that you read, you will find out that life any other way was a waste of your time. Let there be light in your heart.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Daily Devotional April 2 - Let God Work It Out
"And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;" 1 Samuel 12:20
Today I want to speak to everyone who is still involved in some way with things that are blatantly ungodly or irresponsible. Your trapped by your circumstances and you've made some verifiable bad choices. You might even be getting deeper in the pit of despair or trouble than you ever imagined. Maybe other than this nemesis in your life everything is going relatively smooth, (you think). But the truth is that if you are involved in something inappropriate or blatantly ungodly, you are negatively affecting your future and those around you. There will not be a good outcome unless you quickly disengage.
But in this time (that you either brought on yourself or others pushed on to you) you need your heavenly Father. You need what God has to offer. Now is not the time to say, (God wouldn't approve of me or what I am doing so there is no use to go to Him.) It's just not true. In this predicament you need God just as much as when all is well. And you can turn to Him. You can call out to Jesus. You can expect God to move on your behalf straightway. You can talk to God and tell Him your troubles and the difficulty associated with removing yourself from the situation. If you continue to try to fix this on your own (the way you got into it in the first place) you will fail.
I'm with Samuel. Right now, today, in your current condition, don't turn your back on God. God didn't do this to you, but God can and will move on your behalf to work out the details so that you can move forward. "Turn not aside." You cannot hide from God, but you can (because of free will) deny God access to help you through it. Change your mind and let God work it out with you.
Today I want to speak to everyone who is still involved in some way with things that are blatantly ungodly or irresponsible. Your trapped by your circumstances and you've made some verifiable bad choices. You might even be getting deeper in the pit of despair or trouble than you ever imagined. Maybe other than this nemesis in your life everything is going relatively smooth, (you think). But the truth is that if you are involved in something inappropriate or blatantly ungodly, you are negatively affecting your future and those around you. There will not be a good outcome unless you quickly disengage.
But in this time (that you either brought on yourself or others pushed on to you) you need your heavenly Father. You need what God has to offer. Now is not the time to say, (God wouldn't approve of me or what I am doing so there is no use to go to Him.) It's just not true. In this predicament you need God just as much as when all is well. And you can turn to Him. You can call out to Jesus. You can expect God to move on your behalf straightway. You can talk to God and tell Him your troubles and the difficulty associated with removing yourself from the situation. If you continue to try to fix this on your own (the way you got into it in the first place) you will fail.
I'm with Samuel. Right now, today, in your current condition, don't turn your back on God. God didn't do this to you, but God can and will move on your behalf to work out the details so that you can move forward. "Turn not aside." You cannot hide from God, but you can (because of free will) deny God access to help you through it. Change your mind and let God work it out with you.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Daily Devotional April 1 - What You Say Matters
"He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction." Proverbs 13:3
Look, you think you are a good person and overall you are, but don't disregard the words of wisdom from Solomon. If you are mouthy and have a difficult time expressing your wishes unless you yell or say some demeaning thing, think about the consequences of your actions. The words you speak and the intonation of those words has a lot to say about you as a person.
This is something you can rectify. You have within you power over your own mouth. Do you want to yield to your baser instincts or rise to newer and higher thinking? What you think and what you speak have a great deal to do with who you are and where you are today. But even if you like the way things are and even if it doesn't bother you if you speak abruptly or disrespectfully to your children or your spouse, you might not like the long-term results of such actions.
Your spouse, children and friends were made by God to hear in their hearing every good and worthy word you can muster up. They were designed to respond to the sounds of the indwelling Holy Spirits voice being uttered through a willing vessel. They were designed to be built up and encouraged by the words you speak and the thoughts you think. I know I don't want to be responsible speaking trash into the hearts and minds of those I love.
This is a war between the spirit and the flesh. Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. Your spirit seeks and desires the higher things of God, while you flesh seeks the baser things, the lesser things and ultimately death. Your spirit has within it the vocabulary of God, while your flesh has within it a very limited and sometimes degrading lexicon. Yes this will require some energy and some hard work and some sacrifice, but doesn't everything of value cost something?
Look, you think you are a good person and overall you are, but don't disregard the words of wisdom from Solomon. If you are mouthy and have a difficult time expressing your wishes unless you yell or say some demeaning thing, think about the consequences of your actions. The words you speak and the intonation of those words has a lot to say about you as a person.
This is something you can rectify. You have within you power over your own mouth. Do you want to yield to your baser instincts or rise to newer and higher thinking? What you think and what you speak have a great deal to do with who you are and where you are today. But even if you like the way things are and even if it doesn't bother you if you speak abruptly or disrespectfully to your children or your spouse, you might not like the long-term results of such actions.
Your spouse, children and friends were made by God to hear in their hearing every good and worthy word you can muster up. They were designed to respond to the sounds of the indwelling Holy Spirits voice being uttered through a willing vessel. They were designed to be built up and encouraged by the words you speak and the thoughts you think. I know I don't want to be responsible speaking trash into the hearts and minds of those I love.
This is a war between the spirit and the flesh. Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. Your spirit seeks and desires the higher things of God, while you flesh seeks the baser things, the lesser things and ultimately death. Your spirit has within it the vocabulary of God, while your flesh has within it a very limited and sometimes degrading lexicon. Yes this will require some energy and some hard work and some sacrifice, but doesn't everything of value cost something?
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