Month: December 2010

On December 30, 2010

How can I proclaim Your glory and testify to Your faithfulness when I live a life of lukewarm faith? It is required for us to be on fire for God. We are to give testimony to the truth. Only He is glorious, faithful, and worthy of all praise. We are to endure hardships to strengthen us, increase our endurance and refine our faith. His gold is a faith, tested by trials. This purchased faith becomes our required compensation to be with Him eternally. It is a gold that we must buy. It is not given. It is not free. It comes at a price.

Your Word say’s to be either hot or cold. You are not pleased with lukewarm faith.

Revelation 3:14-22

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The enemy is always trying to distract us from worshipping God. His attacks are always where it hurts us the most. He deceives us into believing in ourselves, feeding our pride and diminishing our dependence upon God’s grace. Jesus said to remain in Him and we would bear much fruit. Without God’s grace we are wrecked in selfish pursuits that do not bring glory to God. These pitiful efforts will burn up having no value. They will leave us wretched, poor, blind and naked.

Our faith, our refined gold, is a life-long journey of learning how to deny ourselves to be obedient to His will. Along the way we recognize His infinite worth and realize our insignificance without Him. It believes in Him in all things, through all things, and around all things. All things are possible with Him. He is in control. Everything that was or is or will be is because of Him. A steadfast pursuit of knowing Him is the fuel needed for a faith on fire.

Even at the point of death we must come to the decision of letting go of our will and allowing His to take dominion. Faith tells us He is in control. God is love. In knowing Him, our earthly journey ends in love. Faith gives us the assurance of heaven and being with Jesus. We can only imagine heaven.

21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Commitment and Covenants

They may appear as words with different meanings, but for the believer in Christ they are synonymous. Commitment according to the American Heritage Dictionary “is an agreement or promise to do something.” Covenant according to Dictionary.com “is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.” The Bible tells us that “covenant” is the agreement between God and His people, in which God promised to protect them if they kept His law and were faithful to Him.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:33-37:
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Christ called to the twelve and they followed. They left everything for the sake of the call. It was a commitment for which all gave their lives. They never signed a paper or took an oath declaring their commitment. There was an unspoken agreement that was deeper and more binding.

Most churches require a “signed” covenant binding members to honor their commitment to the church. But, it must go deeper than a verbal or written agreement. Believers must be aware that every promise they make impacts eternity. Broken promises are from the Evil One and will bring God’s judgment. We are accountable to Him for every broken promise, every careless word. Honoring our word is the visible outward appearance of our integrity. Agreements should not be made if they cannot be honored. Many times our hearts make promises that our minds and bodies can not fill. We must be wise enough to know the boundaries God has placed on our lives.

“Let your no be no.” We have to learn to say ‘no’ even when our hearts want to say ‘yes.’ Our children are good examples. As loving parents, we want to give them the very best of everything but there are occasions when ‘no’ is what is best.

Before you become too involved in anything, especially serving in a ministry, make sure you look at your existing commitments and time restraints. Your spouse and family’s welfare should always take precedence in your decision making. They are gifts from God and need to be invested and returned to Him with greater value. When Jesus calls you to serve — there will be a great awareness of His peace and joy that can not be explained. Miracles will happen. He will make a way that you can not deny or abandon.

He is faithful to give us everything we need. Most importantly, He will give us the passion we need to accomplish His will for our lives.

Happy Birthday! Jesus

You created our world as a paradise for us to live in harmony with You. You stepped down from your kingdom, power and glory into a fallen world broken by our sin. Born in a barn amongst the sheep, cows, camels, and mules to a virgin teenager favored by your Father. You would live and grow as a simple carpenter drawing no attention to yourself until the appointed time for your ministry.

You gave comfort to the poor, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead, and found the lost.

You lived a life with no possessions, no home to call your own, your hands were not meant to touch the temptation of money.

You sacrificed all that you had to show us the way of love, the way of life, the way everlasting. Innocently, You walked alone and abandoned, your body beaten and bruised carrying the whole burden of our sin. In our blind disobedience, we pierced you and nailed you to a cross. Still with your last breath you prayed for us, “Forgive them Father…” The battle of physical agony and true love raged within you on the cross. But you, a child born in manger, would conquered death, and through a life of humility we experienced your divinity and we are changed forevermore.

Happy Birthday! Jesus.

Four Things Which Bring Great Peace

The Voice of Christ
MY CHILD, I will teach you now the way of peace and true liberty.

Seek, child, to do the will of others rather than your own.
Always choose to have less rather than more.
Look always for the last place and seek to be beneath all others.
Always wish and pray that the will of God be fully carried out in you.

Behold, such will enter into the realm of peace and rest. (Quoted from Thomas Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, 1380)

What beautiful truths divinely revealed Thomas Kempis in The Imitation of Christ!

(John 14:27) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

If we few truly sought after these truths the peace Christ left us would illuminate from us. The fruit of the Spirit would be evident in our lives. Overflowing joy would fill our outlook. Patience and long suffering would be inherent to our character.

Many times we think our way is the best, without trying to serve someone else.

Many times we think life is about what and how much we can get out of it, rather than how much we put into it. The true investment in life is worshipping God, chasing after Jesus, and serving others. The desire for acquisition of wealth and personal fame has no place in His kingdom. God’s Word through James clearly teaches us about our unrest and shows us the way to His peace:

(James 4:1-10) “1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Many times we put our agendas in front of others, believing it is what is best for us.

Life always appears to be a continuous struggle for us to get ahead. But– ahead of what? At who’s expense? If we are in a constant struggle, how can we possess Christ’s peace? If we are truly praying for God’s will to direct our lives then we must live lives with integrity, in truth, in obedience and fear of God.

There are many definitions of worship floating around in the Christian religious world. But, only one word is synonymous — “obedience.” Jesus said many times, “if you love me, you will obey my commands.”

It is in the stillness, God reveals Himself. If we do not know peace, we can not fully know Him. Thomas Kempis was blessed with this knowledge and strived to live a life of peace because he truly wanted to know God. Remember his Four Things Which Bring Great Peace:

Seek to do the will of others rather than your own.
Always choose to have less rather than more.
Look always for the last place and seek to be beneath all others.
Always wish and pray that the will of God be fully carried out in you.

Heart Cry!

Holy Almighty Father!

Your will be done. May the fear of You be my only fear. Help me love where there is hate. Let patience be a supernatural virtue reflected in my life. Increase my faith and knowledge of Your ways. Never allow me to embarrass You. Let me rejoice in You and praise Your name through all my trials and suffering. No matter what man can do to me – even take my life, I know You have prepared a place for me. You have promised to prosper me and give me a future. You are the Alpha and Omega. May my life always glorfy You! King of Kings! Lord of Lords! Holy God!

I lift this prayer in the Name above all Names, Jesus Christ!

Amen!

What is Worship?

What is Worship? To answer this question you must be able to faithfully answer two other questions.

One, How much is God “worth” to you?

Is He “everything” just like the songs we sing? Who is God? What does He mean to you?

Two, Do you really know what “love” is/means?

1 John 4:8 (New International Version) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8) 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.

Love is not sex
Love is not infatuation
Love is not selfish
Love is an action word
Love is sacrifice

(Romans 12:1) Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Love is a gift

(John 3:16) 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,f that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

(John 15:12-13) 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus did this!

Worship is simply a life lived in “obedience” to God’s commandments. It is not the music we sing. (John 14:15) 15“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

Worship can be expressed through singing. The singing is an external, outward expression of the thankfulness too overwhelming to be contained in our hearts.

(John 4:23-24) 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

(John 14:21) 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

God will never ask us to do something He has not already done.

The Race — January 12, 2009

The Race (audio)

Once we come to knowledge and acceptance of our Lord Jesus Christ we begin to understand our purpose in this life. Our hearts begin to cry out for the lost. A sense of urgency to proclaim the Gospel comes upon us. In Scripture Paul describes it like a race — a race of the utmost importance.

Act 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

Paul continues in the book 1st Corinthians, Chapter 9, to encourage us in the way we should run this race commission by our Lord Jesus. With passion, dedication and unwavering commitment! He encourages us to become disciplined — putting every hindrance aside that we might run our race focused and with purpose. The Scripture says: 1Co 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

When Paul knew that his life was coming to an end he tells young Pastor Timothy the manner in which we all should finish our race. 2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Paul finished his race in victory. He won. He persevered. He kept his faith to the finish line. He is a conqueror and co-heir with Jesus Christ. He describes His victory well in 8th chapter of Romans. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Some Things We Were Better Off Not Knowing