O Lord! Who am I without You?
Life has no meaning
Love has no substance
Beauty pales and loses its attraction
You are our Everlasting Father
With You there is no end
Life has purpose
Love is a reality
Beauty has it’s creator and joy has it’s gift
Father, You loved me enough to send your Son, Jesus Christ
He died alone on a cross so that I might live through faith in Him
In Him there is no death and my sin is banished from Your sight
You alone are God
You are good and gracious to Your people
We lack nothing in this world because You are our provider
You are our hope and help in times of need.
Though I will fail You, Your mercy and grace restores me through repentance
I will prove my love for you through my obedience to Your commandments
I will love and cherish them more than my life
Forever in Your House I will praise Your Name!
We serve the Master Creator of all things. God is the Creator of creativity. No two snowflakes are the same, nor any person who has ever lived. Moreover, our DNA, our fingerprints are individually ours. Everyday that has passed from the beginning of days was unique, special, marvelous. Over and over we hear the commandment of “Sing a new song…” in God’s Word. God could have created us without freewill. God could have made us pure and Holy with no choice except to worship and adore Him. Still, He made us in His image and gave us the freedom to worship Him or ourselves.
Sing to our Lord a new song with your life. Write your Verses through personal suffering and pain, shout your Choruses in joy and thanksgiving, compose your Bridges and Refrains by reflecting the goodness of Him who wants you to be creative, different, and unique. Stand out, do not conform to this world.
Our God never changes. He is the truth! While we are in Him, His truth always guides, directs, and corrects us.
He is our God of justice. He is our God of Mercy. He is our God of Grace. I have heard these 3 true characteristics of our God define this way:
Justice is defined as “getting what you deserve.” (i.e. “You shall reap what you sow in this life.” Death, Sodom and Gomorrah)
Mercy is defined as “we don’t get what we deserve.” “We deserve death, but Christ gave His life for our forgiveness that we may live in God’s sight.”
Grace is defined as “getting what we don’t deserve.” “Our reward for believing in Christ is Eternal life with Jesus, no more fear, death, pain, sorrow, and suffering – Hallelujah! Praise God!”
Since we should be constantly changing (evolving) into the likeness of Christ, these become part of our defining characteristics.
Are you an instrument of His grace? Do you show the fruit of the Holy Spirit when adverse conditions are applied to your life? Is Grace an attribute that describes you? Are you giving people what they don’t deserve? Mercy and Justice are easily given, but Grace is hard.
Some people are hard to love. Some situations make us hard to love. But we are commanded to love anyway. I am positive that we were hard to love as Jesus look at us when He hung from the cross and said “Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Be blessed in His justice, His mercy, His grace, but most of all, His great love!
What do we teach them?
Today our schools are filled with kids using language laced with cursing and profanity. Sadly, I believe the media has so desensitized them that it is becoming indoctrinated into their culture. This offense is far from Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” And is more liken to the warning God spoke to Ezekiel in verse 22:26 “Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.”
Children are a gift from the Lord. We are charged with admonishing and teaching them in the way of our Lord. They are not our property! They are gifts. All things belong to God. And everything (all gifts, even our children) will return to the Father either invested or buried. Every action of love will endure forever, love will never fail. Everything else will burn like chaff, wood, and stubble. Let your actions, your words, and your desires speak of love. Your children, your spouse, your friends, even your enemies will be changed. You will leave a legacy that has the promise of God and it will last forever!
Genesis 1:27 (NIV) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God’s purpose for His creation of Man and Woman is found in the subsequent verse Genesis 1:28 (NIV);
“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Father and Mother complete the image of God to our children. Not just a father or a single mother — both.
Every good parent wants the best for their children. They work diligently to provide a home, food and clothing. They, in turn, expect obedience and honor from their children. Good parents provide time for entertainment and recreation, for laughter, for bonding and for work. Good parents provide structure and stability for their children so that children know their responsibility, duty and limitations.
Everything we do should have boundaries. Anything (except Jesus!) done in excess is idol worship. I heard a pastor say that it is when “we take good things and make them godly things we create idols” in our life. The discipline set up by good parents should help their children flee the temptation to create idols. Satan knows that the best way to destroy the world is to divide what was meant to be Holy from the beginning, Man and Woman, Man and Wife, or parents. Divorce, broken homes, and homosexuality are steadily increasing. The image of God created in the beginning is being redefined by Satan, the world, and lost people. Especially, some men and women who call themselves “good parents.”
Father, You are beyond the realm of my imagination, everything I perceive to be beautiful and true can not compare to You. There is none like You. You are beyond the scope of my expression. My earthly words can not contain You. May this world experience the joy and majesty, and the peace and prosperity of Your perfect truth. May Your glory fill the earth with the light of Your love and awesome power. May we live each day completely satisfied by the power of each and everyone of Your words.
O Father! have mercy upon us sinners. Teach us with each passing moment to love mercy and to be more merciful, till judgment is no longer a part of our being.
Father, guide us in Your ways. There are many traps and pitfalls here set by our Enemy. Deliver us from Satan for we have can not contend with him in our flesh.
Everything is Yours! Everything, now and forever are Yours! Everything!
Many times I feel upset and frustrated because I do not get my way. I go off and pout for a while, then eventually, with the passage of time, the ill-feelings go away and I seem to get back in my normal mood. This way of handling my difficulties is all wrong. God’s truth teaches us to confront our frustrations, reason with Him, and come to an agreement that is open to the Light and brings closure to the concern. Anything that disobeys the truth and is not done in love — is “sin.” Sin takes you out of alignment with our Holy Father and places us at the mercy seat of Christ. Amazingly, if we quickly “repent” we can get back within the grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
When we feel we have been wronged our innate defensive mechanisms kick in and the “fight or flight” mentality begins to deal with our alleged offense. We either go off and pout (maybe even drag a few reluctant friends along with us) or we put up our fists and begin to bang away.
God’s Word says that our righteousness is like filthy rags. The more I think I’m right, the more I realize how much I’m not. It’s about “grace.” It’s all about our Heavenly Father’s amazing grace! I don’t have to be “right” anymore! Jesus did it all. He was God’s righteousness veiled in flesh. He was the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God. Jesus didn’t run away and pout when He was wronged and difficulties came, He faced them head on. Not with fists clenched, but with open hands filled with salvation, mercy, and love. He was obedient to His Father’s will all the way to His death on the cross, not for His sake, but for ours. I believe He told us the reason for His grace on the cross. “Father! Forgive them! For they do not know what they are doing.”
Forgive me, my Lord Jesus! I have failed You so many times. In my selfishness I have brought darkness in this world. Yet, Your grace remains. You have created me from the beginning to be salt and light. Help me to be obedient to Your commandments. My desire is to love Your commandments even more than I love this life. I will always sing of Your mercy and grace. Amen.
The definition of “Organization “ according to Webster Merriam dictionary is “an administrative and functional structure (as a business or a political party); also : the personnel of such a structure.” Many churches have become, what I call, “maintenance organizations.” They are more determined to maintain their existing membership than minister to a broken and dying world. They placate members with topical antidotes (and sprinkle the name of Jesus) like “Marriage Conferences” rather than send their members out to minister to real broken homes. They defend their indolence to the perpetual urgent call of the Gospel by developing occasional, extravagant outreach programs that yield little at great cost. Their appearance is liken to a fat, well groomed, diamond studded, lazy cat awaiting its next meal. Dazzling programmed entertainment, comfort and accommodation fill the services. Messages are laced with video enhancement, encouragement and comical pith’s to tickle the listener’s ear. The church is ran just like the world’s business’ with myriads of redundant meetings. These meetings develop policies and action lists creating more work to maintain it’s machinery; it’s organization. Making the overall environment one of extreme “busyness.”
Jesus said in Luke 10, “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
“Only one thing is needed…”
As children of God and followers of Christ our greatest impact to His glory in this world is our testimony through suffering. That is where He receives the greatest glory. It is when we praise Him through our storms – our valleys. His word says, “It is impossible to please God without faith.” Unwavering faith through suffering is the strength of our testimony. Love is important. But, loving people who love you does not bring glory to God. Jesus loved us even though we despised Him, hated Him, beat Him, cursed Him, and crucified Him. We need to love each other through the hate and the hurt. That’s the kind of love He has commanded us to present.
This may be hard to accept, but if you are comfortable, relaxed, and have many pleasurable activities in your life, you are not a good candidate for “Kingdom work.” If you fear God above all things and are faithful, humble, merciful, rejoice in truth and righteousness, confident and loving, excited, free, willing to sacrifice and ready to fast – Jesus is calling. The cross that each of us has to bear weighs differently for each believer. Some are called to poverty and destitution as their witness, even greater still, some are called to martyrdom. It is a price that every follower of Christ must be willing to pay the moment they make Jesus lord of their lives.
Doing great things for God require great sacrifices! Children of this world are willing to sacrifice a little, but not enough to bring about personal suffering. The “Me Equation” must not enter into any action or decision for a kingdom worker. It must be God’s way or “be still and know!” I believe our Lord gave a great warning to His ministers and pastors in His parable in Luke 12; “47 “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” This is the sacrifice “Kingdom” work requires.
Adrian Rogers said a faith untested is not trustworthy. Suffering tests and strengthens our faith in Jesus. David said it best in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” I believe David’s faith was tested up until the day he died. He suffered, he cried, he mourned, he stumbled but through it all he trusted the Lord to deliver him. Not only did Jesus deliver him but he also exalted David as an icon for His true worshippers.
...the Truth shall set you free. - John 8:32
In this day and age we have limited, personalized definition of freedom. Among many other factors, it is subjective to our culture, financial and political views. In truth, freedom is only found in our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the narrow way. He said, “I am the Truth” — “and the Truth shall set you free.”
Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”