An Abundant Life

abundant  1. present in great quantity; more than adequate; over-sufficient: an abundant supply of water.

By a matchless parable our Lord there taught us that all believers are branches of the Living Vine, and that, apart from Him we are nothing and can do nothing because we have in us no life.  A.T. Pierson

What do you consider an abundant life?  Do you have or live one? 

When I looked up the definition of abundant the phrase that struck me was “over-sufficient”.  If you look at that from a worldly perspective, most of us have an over-sufficient life.  We have a home, plenty of food to eat, cars to drive and sometimes we have multiples of some things in our life. 

If we look at it from Jesus’ perspective we have an over-sufficient life in things that are not important.  Jesus came so that we would have an abundant life but His coming wasn’t so that we could have more stuff.  Isaiah 55:1-3 offers a definition of what an abundant life means from a heavenly perspective. 

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear, and come to Me.  Isaiah 55:1-3

If I am living my life from a worldly perspective instead of a heavenly perspective, I will never see the abundant life Jesus offers. 

        

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You promise that I can have an abundant life, yet too many times my idea of an abundant life is very different from what you intended. I thirst for You and You promise Living Waters.  Thank You for Your Son who died so that I may live abundantly, not with the satisfaction of life here on earth, but the satisfaction of a life with You in Heaven.   

   

Scripture:  Jesus the Good Shepherd

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  John 10:7-10

77 Percent

There will be no "knights in shining armor" in God's kingdom; our armor will have many dings and dents. No, no perfect Hollywood heroes will ride in to save the day; just wearied saints who look to God and, in weakness, find Christ's strength. This, indeed, is the essence of God's kingdom: divine greatness manifest in common people.  Francis Frangipane

A new poll finds that 77 percent of Americans think religion is losing influence on everyday life.  This was on the news this morning as I was getting ready for work.  The report stated that this is the highest rate since the late 1960’s.

This is not hard to believe when you watch the news daily and see the atrocities that humans commit against each other.  When we begin to accept that it is ok to remove “In God We Trust” from the very foundation of what makes this country, we are increasing that percentage each day.

I often ask myself why we turn to God during terrible circumstances but not when things are good in our lives.  Many times I think it is because we become complacent.  When terrorists bombed the Twin Towers in New York the majority of the country turned to God to ask why and in the next instant we asked Him for help.  Why do we stop praising Him when things get better and then blame Him when the tragedy comes? 

If only 23% of the American population thinks that God has influence on their lives then we are in trouble.  If I don’t believe in Him, the One who created me, at all times then what hope do I have in this world or the next.  When I think of the enormity of where many people of this world will spend eternity it scares me.  This is an enormous task we are faced with and it does become a daunting task if we are trying to do it without God. 

We can bring others to Christ with God’s strength or our own.  It would be like fighting a giant with a sling-shot and a rock and not winning. Maybe we could do it by building a boat where a body of water doesn’t exist.  How about feeding four thousand with a loaf of bread and a few fish? Jesus came to earth in human form to save us.  I don’t want my life to be wasted.  I believe there is much more work to be done and we are the only chance some people will have to reach heaven.  

   

We must first understand our weakness without Him.  If we want to bring others to Christ, we must first “believe” that God can do it through us and then we must “pursue” it with everything in us.    

  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I know that through Your strength I can do things that I never dreamed.  Your ways are not ours and I need to be reminded daily of Your Greatness.  Help me to pursue others for You.  I understand I can’t do it on my own.  You are my strength and my salvation.   

                    

Scripture: Job: God’s Final Judgment and Glory

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer, since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12

Be All You Can Be

Any time we open ourselves up to fear, we fall prey to his deceptions and intimidations. Yet, if we submit our hearts to God and stand in faith, we can resist those first fearful thoughts. As we yield to God we can master our reactions to fear and the enemy will soon flee.  Francis Frangipane

My middle sister and I went to high school together.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to go to school with my oldest sister as she had graduated before I started, and I graduated before my younger brother started. 

Anyway, when I was a sophomore my sister was a junior.  We joined our marching group and at the time my sister was a Junior Co-Captain.  I decided to try to follow in her footsteps.  You had to try out for the various captain positions and to this day I don’t know how I was able to get through the try-outs.  I was extremely shy, (you can’t say that about me today), and there were several things you had to do in try-outs.  You had to make up a hand-routine, (this was kind of like a mime with gloves on), give a speech, do a marching routine and blow all the whistle commands. 

Here is this skinny, extremely shy teenager who is going to get up in front of 150 girls and sponsors and give a speech, do routines and not pass out from sheer terror.  This is the thing.  In my freshman year I tried out for Junior Co-Captain and I didn’t make it.  You would have thought I would have stopped there.  I didn’t.  The next year when my sister was a Senior Co-Captain I was determined to try out again.  I guess failure didn’t sit well with me, so that year I tried out again. 

That was the year I came out of my shell.  I was no longer this shy introverted person.  I overcame my fear of rejection.  I had already lost the previous year so what made me think I would win the next one.  I like to think that was God working in me.  The coolest thing about this whole thing was when I tried out the second time I received enough votes to become Senior Co-Captain and the even cooler thing was I took my sister’s place when she graduated.  They had a ceremony that took place when the votes were counted and my sister symbolically passed her whistle on to me.  That is one of the best memories I have of high school.  Not only had I accomplished something I never thought I could do, but I had a special memory with my sister. 

God created us to become more than we ever think is possible.  The moment of try outs for me was filled with fear.  My fear was so great that I thought when I stepped out in front of the crowd that I would freeze, pass out or hyperventilate and not be able to say a word.  The weird thing is I don’t remember the faces of everyone looking on.  I had practiced so long and hard that it just came to me without thinking about it.  Isn’t that the very thing God wants from us.  He wants us to meditate on His word every day so that when we are called to step out in faith, we will not hesitate.  Don’t let fear interfere with God’s purpose in your life.

    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, what better way to praise You than to live my life for You.  The memories of years gone by have taught me that You created each of us with a purpose in mind.  Your purpose can only be fulfilled if we step out in faith.  This faith will only come if I am willing to set aside my fear and walk toward You.  Thank you for helping me to be all that I can be for You.

Scripture:   Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:17-19

Do Not Be Anxious   

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. ~Corrie Ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook

I have a tendency to become anxious about things and often the very things I become anxious about never happen.  I wonder how much time I have wasted in my lifetime worrying about things that didn’t matter or never happened. 

If I decide to hold fast to Christ when anxiety overtakes me in effect I replay Christ’s victory on the cross and therefore I defeat the evil forces of Satan.  Peter said it best this way, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.  Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world.”  (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Of course this is easier said than done.  It is easy to say, give it over to the Lord but then we have all these worldly influences that allow anxiety to creep back in.  It would be great if we had a Satan filter.  Kind of like a coffee filter that you wear on our head that keeps the Satan stuff from getting in and then you replace the filter every day with a new one. 

The thing is we have an excellent filter available to us at any time.  God is our filter.  He is the one who can filter out the worldly garbage that can come in the form of the things people say and do to us.  The difficult part is determining what is good and what is bad and sometimes what we think is bad, (as in trials), really are for our benefit.  God sometimes intends for us to benefit from the difficult things in life.  But He tells us not to be anxious.  He tells us in “everything”, not just the big things but the minor things as well, through supplication and thanksgiving, give your requests to Him.  It doesn’t say he will take away all the bad things it says “peace” will guard our hearts and minds through Jesus.  This means God will be with us through it.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I often become anxious over things that never happen.  That is when Satan wins.  Help me to rely on You alone for my comfort and peace.  I also praise you for the trials in my life because I am a better person for having survived the trials of life.  Please give me Your peace.

Scripture:  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:6-9

Cash Back

Thank God for the battle verses in the Bible. We go into the unknown every day of our lives, and especially every Monday morning, for the week is sure to be a battlefield, outwardly and inwardly in the unseen life of the spirit, which is often by far the sternest battlefield for souls. Either way, the Lord your God goes before you, He shall fight for you!  Amy Carmichael

Have you ever really thought about cash back?  You know the commercials that advertise you can get cash back on tires, gas, groceries etc….   The commercial is intended to make you spend more but they make it sound so enticing.  It is kind of ironic don’t you think that they sell us on buying more so you can get something back that is less than what you spent.

In reality they are trying to convince us that the more you spend the more you save.  What kind of thinking is that?  I am currently reading a book about business.  In the book it talks about how every transaction that we do in business should be a win-win-win for everyone involved.  What does that mean?  It means that the business owner is not in it just to make money.  If you run your business with a win-win-win theory, it means that the business owner wins, the supplier for the business wins and the customer wins.  What a concept. 

What normally happens is companies are greedy so they do whatever it takes to win.  This means they will cheat the customer, charge outrageous prices or take advantage of their suppliers.  In this case with credit cards they will charge extremely high interest rates so that they can offer cash back.  They want you to think you are making money by using your credit card. 

Let’s take furniture for an example.  Most furniture stores mark up an item by at least 80% or more.  So here is where it gets interesting.  They will run a promotion and mark the item back down to give the illusion that the consumer is getting a great deal when in reality they are just reducing the amount of profit they will make on the item.  How about this trick?  Most retailers put the sales items at the back of the store so that there is a good chance of you making an impulse buy before you ever get to the sale items.  Retailers in furniture will often use a maze layout to increase the chances that as you wander through the maze you will see something you can’t live without and impulsively buy.  There is even a retailer that sets up their store so you have to walk all the way through the entire store before you reach the check-out line.  What they don’t advertise is that there are various shortcuts throughout the building but you will probably miss those because they are hidden.

I am not trying to pick on the furniture retailers.  You find the same thing in car showrooms, grocery stores, gas stations and all sorts of businesses.  God never intended for us to use greed as a motivator for business.  God intended us to own businesses but our intent should not be to make the most we can make and cheat others.  God’s perfect plan is for us to charge a reasonable price and in that perfect plan the customer will return because they are not being cheated.  If everything I own is God’s, how can I use it to cheat others to get ahead.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am often guilty of not being prepared.  You give me the best tool, the Bible, to help me in the preparation for the biggest battle of my life.  Help me to use it to overcome Satan when he attacks.  I am fighting for eternity and I want to win.   

Scripture:

“When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you. And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge overnight. You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God.

“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you.

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.

“You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow’s garment as a pledge. But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.

“When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.  When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.  When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 

And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing. Deuteronomy 24:10-22

So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death? 

Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.  For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”  Deuteronomy 31:24-29

Make Me Broken

Learn this lesson: not to trust Christ because you repent, but trust Christ to make you repent; not to come to Christ because you have a broken heart, but to come to Him that He may give you a broken heart; not to come to Him because you are fit to come, but to come to Him because you are unfit to come. Your fitness is your unfitness. Your qualification is your lack of qualification.  Charles Spurgeon

Have you ever prayed to be broken?  Brokenness is not fun and it isn’t meant to be.  Brokenness means we are at the bottom not the top.  In our humanness we want to be unbroken and untouched where tragedy and trouble don’t happen.  The problem is if we remain unbroken we often will never see God as the Redeemer of brokenness.

There have been many times in my life when I was broken and I admit I never prayed for it.  The thing I have since learned is that God loved me enough to allow me to be broken whether I wanted it or not.  One of the definitions I read about the word brokenness is that it means to not function properly or to be out of working order. 

What does brokenness do for us? It helps us to understand that we can’t do it on our own.  Our strength is not enough and never will be enough.  It brings us to the end of ourselves.  When we are at the end of me we are then free to accept that we can’t do it alone and we are then able to look up.  God never intended for us to go on this journey alone.  He wants us to turn to Him but sometimes we won’t do that until we learn that He is the only one that can help us. If we allow pride or selfishness to stand in our way, then we will never see God in the proper light.  

Too many times when we are in the midst of trouble and sorrow, the first thing we do is look for an escape.  How many times have you asked yourself “If I can just escape the pain I will be fine”?  If you have ever done that and then later looked back, you will probably find that you didn’t learn much from the escape.  The times that I learned the most and became the closest to my Creator was when I didn’t escape and went through it.  If your escape includes going around, over or under the obstacle; stop what you are doing and look up.  God will help you through it if you will let Him.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I have been broken over and over again in my life.  The one thing I know above everything else is that You held me when I was broken.  You loved me through it all.  If I had never been broken, I would never have seen You as my Savior and Redeemer.  I praise You for my brokenness because it helped me to know what Your love is and if brokenness draws me closer to You, then I am thankful.

Scripture:  The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.  Psalm 147:2-6

Imperfection

Imperfection is the prerequisite for grace. Light only gets in through the cracks.  Philip Yancey

The one marvelous secret of a holy life lies not in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh. Sanctification is "Christ in you."... Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy; it is drawing from Jesus the holiness that was manifested in Him, and He manifests it in me.  Oswald Chambers

Do you ever strive for perfection in things that you do?  It might be in your job, your family life or any number of things.  I admit I struggle with this on a daily basis.  I work in a busy environment with a lot of things going on every day.  This alone hinders the chance of ever doing anything perfect by the mere fact that it is busy.  Then I have the outside influences like other people who may thwart my pursuit of perfection. Have you ever worked with someone who you depended on to get you figures for a report or information to complete the report where you have a deadline to meet and they failed to meet the deadline?  It can be frustrating.

One of the things that I see happening more and more is the fact that there are so many different generations working together.  There are all kinds of studies and names assigned to the different generations.  For the purpose of this devotional I will call them by my own made up names, “Advanced in Years” or AIY, “On the Downhill Side” or ODS, and “Not Yet Over the Hill” or NYOH. So when a NYOH starts working with a ODS there are some things that occur due to the age difference.  An NYOH doesn’t like working with a time clock, whereas an ODS only knows how to work with a time clock.  So when you try to get these two to work together there can be problems.  You have an ODS who is always on time and an NYOH who shows up whenever.  The thing is they will both get the job done just not the same way or in the same timeframe. Too many times I expect perfection from the other person and when they aren’t I am disappointed.  Why should I expect perfection from another, when I understand and know that I am not perfect?

One of the things I have learned about perfection is that it has taught me how imperfect I am.  I will say, this is a very humbling experience.  When I begin to see the imperfections in myself, I can then more easily see and accept the imperfections in another. The most important statement I read about myself is the following:

“A person demanding perfect justice and fairness will always feel dissatisfied and will tend to be more preoccupied with getting their just treatment than they are with loving and being loved.” If I give up my right for fairness and justice, I can then begin to live in grace."    

     

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I have pursued perfection in my life over and over again. Father, I pray for you to make me weak, because You tell me that in my weakness, I am strong.  Thank you for having patience with me when I fail you over and over again.  I want to be like Jesus, but I know my failings.  Help me to work on the things I can change about me to become more like You.

Scripture: And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10

David’s Failure

A wrong view of God leads inevitably to a failure to enjoy and grow in His grace. Failure to appreciate His love, His kindness and generous heart leads eventually to a life which bears no fruit and makes no progress. The lesson is clear: if you would grow in grace, learn what grace is. Taste and see that the Lord is good (see I Peter 2:2).  Sinclair B. Ferguson

I love to read about David in the Bible.  He is one of the best examples of someone who failed over and over again, yet he was still loved by God.  If you study the life of David, he had quite a few large failures.  He started out so well with the whole David and Goliath thing.  He was brave, strong and he stood up for God when no one else would. God gave him the power to overcome Goliath.

 

David didn’t always make good decisions.  His choice to stay home and not go out to battle was the beginning of one of his worst failures.  Remember how David slept with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and then found out Bathsheba was pregnant.  To cover up his sin, he sent Uriah, the man he planned to kill, with a letter to Joab telling him to put Uriah at the front of the battle and retreat from him so that he would be struck down and die.  That was pretty cold to hand the guy you plan to kill the very letter that contained the instructions for his death. 

The thing is there were consequences for David’s sin against Uriah.  In 2 Samuel 12:10-14 we find out David’s punishment for his sin.  Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’” So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” I can’t imagine the death of a child and that was part of the consequence David paid for his sin.

If I look back over my life, I have failed over and over again.  I failed tests in school and even a course in college.  I’ve failed friends, family members and some people I may not even realize I failed along the way.  The thing I have learned is that failure doesn’t have to be my epitaph.  I can be a different person and the person God calls me to be.  Failure doesn’t have to define who I am or where I am going.  It is a part of my life and I accept it as such.  Failure and its consequences are the refining process God uses to make me more like Him. 

       

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I have sinned and failed You in so many ways.  Sometimes it is hard for me to understand that You could forgive me.   Then I see Jesus and the sacrifice He made and I understand that You love me too, even in all my failings.  Thank you for redeeming me.  

Scripture:  Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:32-33

Adapting or Transforming

Give up the struggle and the fight; relax in the omnipotence of the Lord Jesus; look up into His lovely face and as you behold Him, He will transform you into His likeness. You do the beholding--He does the transforming. There is no short-cut to holiness.  Alan Redpath

What [others] most need is to see in you a reflection of what God is like and of the transforming power of the Gospel. Your life can create hunger and thirst for God in others' lives and can be a powerful instrument in the hand of the Holy Spirit to draw their hearts to Christ.  Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I started thinking about chameleons this morning.  I find it interesting how chameleons are able to change colors depending on external factors.  If they are being hunted by predators, they will often change color to blend in with their surroundings.  The reason their eyes look so weird is their upper and lower eyelids are joined with only a pinhole large enough for the pupil to see through.  The other odd thing about them is their eyes are able to move independently from each other which means they can see you coming and going.

We often use the same type of adapting technique.  We change color so to speak by trying to fit in with those around us.  We will adapt ourselves to fit in with the crowd. We want other people to like us so we adapt.  The other thing is we take on the eyes of the chameleon.  Our eyes are so busy looking for the next thing that we lose sight of the Father.

Jesus didn’t fit in.  He was different.  He hung out with beggars, prostitutes, lepers, demon possessed individuals, tax collectors and any number of people considered by society to be the lowest on earth.  He didn’t try to be like everyone else.  His being different is the very thing that drew people to Him. 

God doesn’t want us to adapt to this world.  He wants us to be transformed into His likeness.  

   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, my drive into work this morning was not as peaceful as it normally is.  I long for your presence in my life and this just reminded me that You are always there and there are no special buttons to push or complicated pictures to figure out.  Thank You for making it possible for me to spend quiet time with You no matter where I am. 

      

Scripture: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  Romans 12:1-2

Apply Your Knowledge

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.  Charles Spurgeon

Has God’s Word changed you?  Many years ago I didn’t study God’s Word very much at all.  I had a basic knowledge of the Bible but I didn’t really apply my life to living what it said.  So if we are to become “Christlike” it will be necessary to live the Word.  If our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin can be removed, then we will need to practice the knowledge of Him.

How many people do you know who profess to be a Christian but their lives reflect a very different picture?  If I don’t live what I profess to believe then I am not a good example of who Christ is.  If I can quote scripture, but my life doesn’t reflect the words I speak, then I am not reflecting Christ.

One of the great ironies of this concept is that the more knowledge we get about God, the more we are expected to apply it to our everyday living. The Bible is not meant to be read and then set aside so that we can live our life the same way.  We are to be changed into his likeness or to become more like Him.  Our life and the way we live and treat others should be a reflection of Christ.  I am the first to point out that this is not easy.  I have sinned over and over again and there are times in my life when I reflected anything but Christlike behavior. 

I believe that is why God calls on us to confess our sins.  When we acknowledge that we messed up, it shows others our human nature.  It also creates a humble character in us.  If I am unable to confess to you my sinful state, then you may never see God or Christ in me.

How many times have we seen pastors, preachers and ministers fail and fall because they tried to hide the sin that plagued them?  The knowledge we have about God needs to be applied to everything we do.  There is a wealth of knowledge in the Bible that will teach us how to handle any situation we face in life, but it will not help us if we never open it.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You have provided me with an amazing Book that will teach me all I need to know to become like Christ.  I need your help to apply it to everything I do in my daily life.  When I apply Your knowledge to my life I will learn to live with wisdom and show others You.  I praise You my heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Your Son.   

     

Scripture: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  Romans 12:2

So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.  John 13:12-17 

An Army or a Savior

The prevailing idea seems to be, that I come to God and ask Him for something that I want, and that I expect Him to give me that which I have asked. But this is a most dishonouring and degrading conception. The popular belief reduces God to a servant, our servant: doing our bidding, performing our pleasure, granting our desires. No, prayer is a coming to God, telling Him my need, committing my way unto the Lord, and leaving Him to deal with it as seemeth Him best. A.W. Pink

When you pray do you ever think seriously about what it is you are asking for?  This weekend our pastor spoke about the importance of Palm Sunday.  He talked about how many times when we pray we often ask for things that we want versus things that we need.

When the pastor spoke about Palm Sunday he talked about how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  He even sent two of the disciples in ahead of Him to get the donkey.  If you think about it Jesus didn’t have a ride, he had to borrow one.  As Jesus approached the city the people threw down their cloaks and spread branches on the road and shouted “Hosanna”.  The really sad part about this story is that a week later these very same people would be shouting for our Savior’s death on a cross. 

In complete contrast to how Jesus entered the city, Pilate entered in a chariot with horses as if he were going to battle. I think the people of that day really wanted Jesus to enter the city the way Pilate did with great fanfare and a big army. 

I think the people of that time were no different than us.  They wanted a Savior who would ride in on a great steed with a great army and conquer the Romans and take back their city.  I think they were disappointed in Jesus.  They didn’t really understand what their need was.  They needed a Savior and wanted an army. The very people who had cried “Hosanna” when Jesus entered Jerusalem, now shouted “crucify Him”. 

If you think about it, we would have no chance of salvation if Jesus had not arrived the way He did. This story was already written and Jesus knew the ending.  It would cost Jesus His life to save us. Jesus met our need not our want.  The people in Jerusalem on that day wanted revenge, not redemption.

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, I praise You for meeting my need and dying on the cross for me a lowly sinner.  What an amazing love for an often unloving people.  You died on a cross for my sin so that I would have a chance to live in heaven for eternity.  Thank you for Your amazing sacrifice.  

Scripture: Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

They said, “Barabbas!”

Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”

Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.  Matthew 27:15-26

Everlasting Arms  

If I lean on God’s everlasting arms what do I have to fear?  Nothing.  He is my refuge in times of trouble, He is my source of strength when I am weak.  I praise Him in everything. 

When I was growing up we sang a beautiful hymn entitled “Leaning On the Everlasting Arms.”  This song became engraved on my heart and I remember the verses to this day.  I can still hear the music in my mind as I sing the words.

When I was young and singing these words in church I didn’t understand their true meaning.  At that time they were just words with music.  These days I totally understand the significance of God’s everlasting arms. 

Our arms are considered a source of strength.  They can lift things, give direction and even harm others in anger.  If we think of our arms as a source of strength, think about what God’s arms mean.  His arms never grow weary, they never lose their power and they are everlasting. 

This always reminds me of the story of Moses when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites.  He told Joshua to choose some men to go and fight the Amalekites.  Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill and as long as Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning, but when he grew tired and lowered his arms the Israelites started losing.  Because Moses arms grew tired he had to have Aaron and Hur on either side of him to hold his hands up.  Joshua eventually overcame the Amalekite army through the strength that God gave Moses in his arms to hold his hands above his head.  Why did God do this?  I believe he wanted everyone to know that it wasn’t Moses strength but God’s. 

When I think of God’s arms I think of a strength that never fades.  His arms can hold me forever, for eternity.  Isn’t that what He wants for each of us?  He wants us to lean into Him, lean into His everlasting arms that will never grow weary or lose their strength.  We will be safe and secure in His arms where he brightens our path.  What do we have to dread here on earth that God cannot make right with His strength?  When we leave this earth He will hold us in His everlasting arms. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, today and every day I want to lean on your everlasting arms.  I am weak but you are strong.  If I trust in You and lean not on my own understanding I can be at peace in You.  Thank you Father for allowing me to use Your arms as my resting place.       

    

Scripture:    The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”  Deuteronomy 33:27

A Temporary Assignment

God gives us gifts, graces, and natural talents, not for our own use, but that we may render them to Him.  Their grand use is to be offered in a continual sacrifice to Him; and by this He is most glorified.  Jeanne Marie Guyon

So many times we say that we can't serve God because we aren't whatever is needed. We're not talented enough or smart enough or whatever. But if you are in covenant with Jesus Christ, He is responsible for covering your weaknesses, for being your strength. He will give you His abilities for your disabilities!  Kay Arthur

Do you ever think about your purpose here on earth?  Remember when you were in school and the teacher passed out the homework assignment.  This was a test.  Homework assignments were used to test your skill and knowledge.  If you completed the assignment and if you did it correctly, you received a reward.  That reward depended on how well you completed the assignment.  In the world we live in, we assign a lettering system to grade how well you accomplished the assignment.  You could get an A, B, C, D or F.   

Our life on earth is a temporary assignment and we will be graded on how well we complete the assignment.  God gave each of us talents to share with others.  Our talents are intended to be used to bless others.  How well we handle this temporary assignment will matter in heaven.  If you are talented in art, carpentry, music, math, speaking; the list is unlimited, then God expects for us to use it for His benefit to bless others.

How well are we handling our temporary assignment?  Would we pass or get a failing grade?  The irony of how God blesses us is that when we give ourselves away for others, God gives us more than we ever dreamed.  How well we handle our temporary assignment on earth matters.  It is the most important assignment we will ever receive and there are other’s whose eternal life depends on how well we handle our assignment.   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I don’t always handle my God given assignment well.  There are times when I neglect the talents You gave me in my pursuit of something of this world. Remind me that I am on temporary assignment here and that other’s lives depend on how well I handle the responsibility You’ve given me.  Help me to use my talents to bless others.  I can do all things through You because You give me strength.

Scripture: Serving for God’s Glory

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 4:7-11

Are We There Yet?    

Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.  Elisabeth Elliot

When we were kids we would go on trips in the summer and one of the things I am sure my parents got tired of hearing was those little voices from the back seat, (after we had only been on the road for an hour), “Are we there yet.”  We were bored sitting in the car on a long drive and we were anxious to get to our destination.  We had been listening all week to our parents tell us how much fun we were going to have once we got there. 

I started thinking about Heaven today.  We are just passing through this life on earth.  It is not our final resting place.  Too many times I lose focus when I get caught up in the things of this life.  I have to continuously remind myself that I am not home because home is not here.

I wonder if it would make a difference to a child’s life it they heard more about heaven.  Most of the time we are so focused on the things they are doing wrong and we talk so much about the sin they are committing here, that we forget to tell them about a much better place where there will be no sorrow, no pain, no tears.  A place where our heavenly Father joyously looks forward to our homecoming. 

The thing is if I believe in the Heavenly Father and understand that he wants what is best for me and nothing happens on this earth without it going through Him first, then I can be at peace with whatever happens on this earth because this “is not my home and we are not there yet”.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, in answer to the question, “Are We There Yet”?, no we are not.  I am just a traveler passing through a strange land.  This is not my home and I praise You for creating a better one for me.  I look forward to the day when I can walk through those gates and see the place you have prepared for me.  Thank you for giving me a path to Your door.  Remind me I am not home yet.   

Scripture:   Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.  Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful." And He said to me, “It is done!  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.  He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.  Revelation 21:1-7