Excesses & Consequences

Prayer can never be in excess.  Charles Spurgeon

There are many things in life that can be taken to excess.  The following is a list of things that we often go to extreme measures to obtain and many of those excesses can lead to dire consequences.

Food is something that can be eaten to excess.  It can lead us to obesity, heart disease and any number of health issues yet we sometimes continue these excesses even if it ruins our health and shortens our life.

Alcohol can be taken to excess where it hinders our ability to make decisions.  You can take the example of former Cowboys player Josh Brent as a life that has forever been changed.  He drove while intoxicated, wrecked his car and killed his best friend.

Money and the accumulation of and the lack of it can do as much harm as any other excess on earth.  It can lead to greed and selfishness or lead to the opposite extreme of using any means possible to obtain it, whether it is cheating, stealing or even killing for it. 

Drugs are another excess that can lead people to do things they would never think of otherwise.  How many people’s lives were ruined by drugs because they thought they would not become addicted?  You can look at the number of actors in Hollywood who thought that very thing and lost their lives in the process.  

If you think about the things in this list, each one, in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing.  It is the use of them that can be fatal.  If we think we are strong enough to withstand any one of these we are fooling ourselves.  Satan intends for us to fail and he has a lot of ammunition doesn’t he?  We often make it easy for him to bring us down. 

I started thinking about what is there on earth that would be something that it would be good for us to be addicted to.  The only answer I could come up with is prayer.  Prayer is the one thing that we can use to fight all the other addictions.  It is the most powerful antidote around and we don’t use it often enough.  When God tells us to pray without ceasing, he means “all the time”.  Not just before a meal or Sunday at church.  That means every minute of every day we should be praying. When we pray without ceasing it fills our mind and keeps the wrong things from getting in.   

One of the things I have learned to do is any time I reach an obstacle in life, I stop everything I am doing and pray.  It doesn’t have to be an eloquent, lengthy prayer.  One of the ones I use often is “Father help me”.  Here is another one.  “Father I need You.”  God knows all the words in the dictionary so you are not going to impress him with your amazing grasp of the English language.  The shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept.”  I know God heard Jesus on that day long ago and He will hear our cries as well.

When you feel like you have reached the end of your capacity to handle what life is throwing at you, do some deep knee bends.  God is waiting and listening and He loves us beyond anything we can ever comprehend.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of using things in this life in excess. You created me in your image and sometimes I don’t glorify You when I use things in this life to excess.  Help me to overcome the addictions of this world and turn to you for everything.  You will not fail me and I praise You for Your love for me.            

Scripture: Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  1 Thessalonians 5:1-28

God Pursues Us

God wants us to worship Him. He doesn't need us, for He couldn't be a self-sufficient God and need anything or anybody, but He wants us. When Adam sinned it was not He who cried, "God, where art Thou?" It was God who cried, "Adam, where art thou?" A.W. Tozer

God pursues us daily.  If He were not a loving God he would not give us the opportunity to return to Him.  He is the God of second chances.  He waits daily for us to turn back to Him and put Him in first place.

But what happens?  Instead of putting God first we make Him last.  We pursue worldly things at the expense of the Father.  This past week was Thanksgiving.  Have you noticed how the world has intruded on Thanksgiving?  Retailers decided to open on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) instead of the Friday after.  So at 6:00pm or 8:00pm after everyone was stuffed like a turkey, they could run out and fight the crowds for bargains. 

So there were fights in the stores.  There were people actually fighting over getting an inanimate object on sale. We have become a society that pursues things.  I admit in the past I shopped on the day after Thanksgiving.  I haven’t done that in quite a few years.  There is nothing on any store shelf that I want that badly anymore. 

Here is my question. Do you think anyone would stay up all night shopping, or get up at 5:00am to fight for a parking space, if what was on the store shelves was salvation? I don’t think people would darken the door of the store that offered salvation? 

When we begin to understand that the most important thing we can ever obtain is salvation, that is when we begin to understand Who God really is.  He pursues us over and over again, but what we need to remember is that He will not pursue us forever.  One day God will determine that He has had enough, and this world as we know it will come to an end.  Will we be ready?   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, in the past I pursued things.  There are still times when I get caught up in the shopping frenzy.  Please direct my thoughts to You when I am tempted to pursue the things of this world.  Keep my mind attuned to You when the things of this world come calling.  There is nothing I need more than You.  I praise You for salvation and the opportunity to spend eternity with You.       

Scripture:  “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” Chronicles 28:8-10

Is Your Tongue Your Sword?

God has given us two ears, but one tongue, to show that we should be swift to hear, but slow to speak. God has set a double fence before the tongue, the teeth and the lips, to teach us to be wary that we offend not with our tongue.  Thomas Watson

One of the biggest struggles in my life is taming my tongue.  I work on it every day but it still sometimes gets loose and wanders out on its own.  Those are the most dangerous times.  When I use my tongue to hurt others I choose it as my sword to break others down.  If I am using my tongue properly as God calls me to do, it becomes a sword of the Spirit. 

God gives us all the tools to conquer Satan, but if we don’t use the tools He provides wisely, we do more harm than good.  To be able to use the tongue to share the gospel, we must first exercise it.  By that I mean we must meditate on His Word and memorize it. The best sword we can have in our fight against Satan is God’s Word.  It is like getting in your car knowing you are low on fuel and then being surprised because you ran out of gas.  If we don’t fuel our mind with scripture we will not have God’s armor when we need it most.

It is also necessary to prepare our heart.  If we have hurt, bitterness or anger in our heart the only thing that will come out will be hurt, bitterness and anger.  If I am not prepared to be last instead of first, I will continue to walk over others to get what I want in life. Have you figured out that even God’s Word can come out wrong if it is spoken in hate or anger?

There are times in my life where it would have been better for me to have a zipper on my lip or maybe superglue because things have come out that never should have been spoken.  I think I will focus on my tongue because if I harm others who are made in God’s likeness then I have committed a grave sin.  The best thing I can do for myself is to learn to control it.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, my tongue has gotten me into trouble many times in my life.  Sometimes it was because I was hurt or angry so my heart was not prepared for my tongue to speak.  Other times I had not buried Your Word in my heart so I was not able to speak Your truth when I most needed it.  I ask for Your forgiveness for speaking to others in anger and using my tongue to harm others instead of lifting them up.  Thank you for loving me even when I am at my most unlovable.     

Scripture:  Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.  Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.  James 3:1-18

Heart Love

Here is a spiritual principle: We cannot exercise love unless we are experiencing grace. You cannot truly love others unless you are convinced that God's love for you is unconditional, based solely on the merit of Christ, not on your performance. Our love, either to God or to others, can only be a response to His love for us.  Jerry Bridges

I was reading a devotional by Rick Warren and he was talking about loving people from the heart.  He made a statement that stuck with me.  He said that if we don’t love people from the heart then they get on our nerves.  If we react to each other from our minds instead of our hearts then we are not loving with “heart love”. 

What does it mean to love other people from the heart?  It means it is necessary to ask questions and really listen to the answers.  If you hear the hurt and try to understand it, you are moving toward “heart love”. 

There are going to be people in this life who are going to get on our nerves.  So how do we come to love that type of person?  One of the things I do when that occurs is I think of things that person may be going through that I know nothing about.  There may be a tragedy in that person’s life that has broken them.  I run different scenarios through my head.  What if that person lost a son or daughter or maybe a parent?  If I practice “heart love” then my heart will be softened toward that person and instead of getting on my last nerve, I see them in a different light.  The light I see them in is God’s light. 

When God said to love your neighbor, he didn’t mean only when they do what you like or want. I have a neighbor who is volatile when he drinks.  You really never know who walks out of his garage on any given day.  He has a lot of anger in him and he shows that anger sometimes to his kids.  I’ve been the unfortunate witness to this one day when I left my house.  The same person has helped us repair our fence and gate, but he is also the same one who later backed out of the garage and hit that same fence while my husband was standing in the driveway.  Did it aggravate me every day when I walk out to get into my car and my gate wouldn’t open properly because my neighbor knocked it out of whack?  Yes.  But every time I get aggravated I stop myself and think about the issues he has in his life.  If I don’t consciously remind myself of the Holy Spirit living in me, I will never love others as I should in this life.

One of the things that God has provided to help us is the Holy Spirit.  If the Holy Spirit lives in us we will start reflecting “heart love”.  Have you figured out that a lot of what we call love is not really love at all?  Let the Holy Spirit dwell in you and God’s love will be made complete in us.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, there are times when I do not show others “heart love”.  The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was You showing us “heart love”.  That kind of love is not based on how much we love God, but on how much He loves us. I have figured out that there are times in my life when I am unlovable, yet You continue to show me Your love with all the blessings in my life.  Help me to demonstrate “heart love” to everyone I meet.  I worship and praise you forever.        

Scripture: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.  And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 1 John 4:7-21

Solomon’s Wisdom

Absalom, who was a fool, wished himself a judge; Solomon, who was a wise man, trembles at the undertaking, and suspects his own fitness for it. The more knowing and considerate men are, the better they are acquainted with their own weakness. Matthew Henry

I love to read about Solomon.  I always find it interesting that Solomon didn’t ask for wealth.  He was raised by King David to love God.  God appeared to Solomon in a dream and because Solomon didn’t ask for anything but a discerning heart to govern God’s people and to distinguish right from wrong, God gave him what he asked.  But God went a step further and gave him both wealth and honor.

My dreams seem pretty insignificant compared to Solomon’s.  Missing the school bus pales in comparison.  Can you imagine God appearing to you in a dream and telling you because he is pleased with you he is going to give you discernment but on top of that he is going to give you wealth and honor?

I think we see a tiny glimpse of God’s great wisdom in Solomon.  Remember the two women who lived in the same house and both had a child but one child died.  They both claimed the living child.  When they came to Solomon he said to cut the child in half and give one half to each woman.  The one who was the true mother told Solomon to give the live child to the other. The true mother was willing to give up her child so he could live. 

Have you ever prayed for brokenness so that you can gain wisdom?  Most of you would think that is crazy to pray for brokenness.  I have prayed for brokenness in my lifetime.  Why?  Because when I am broken is when I am closest to God.  During the lowest points of my life is when I have gained the most wisdom from God.  That very brokenness draws me nearer to my Creator. That brokenness removes the superficial and reveals truth in my life.  At those times it shows me the sinner that needs a redeemer.   

So if brokenness is what it takes to help me see a glimpse of Solomon’s wisdom in my life I will gladly accept it.  God can do amazing things through me in my brokenness.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 you tell us to give thanks “in” all circumstances for it is Your will for me in Christ Jesus.  I praise you for the wisdom You have given me during the trials of my life.  It has taught me to lean on You through every circumstance and You have never failed me.  I praise You for loving me even when I fail You.   

Scripture: “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.  So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.  Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. 1 Kings 3:7-15

God’s Creatures

God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.  Billy Graham

My dog is mad at me.  The last few days my husband and I have been trying to figure out why.  There are a few options.  Any time I go out of town and leave him he acts differently when I return.  Here is an example.  When my husband and I went on our honeymoon my dog stayed with my parents.  When we returned he ran up to my husband and wagged his tail and howled.  He ignored me.  He wouldn’t even look at me.  If I tried to look into his eyes he would turn his head the other way.

So this week I bought his food but I switched it to a different kind that he normally likes.   So I get up every morning and feed him.  I put his food on a paper plate.  Every morning this week after he eats he goes into the kitchen, picks up the paper plate that his breakfast was on and carries it into the living room.  He then proceeds to shred the plate into tiny pieces all over the living room floor.  Yesterday Jerry bought him the other kind of dog food he likes because we thought he might be mad because I switched dog food on him. 

Today I figured out that he is just mad at me for leaving him for a week.  I know, you don’t have to tell me my dog is spoiled.  When he is ready to go to bed he goes into the bedroom and starts talking.  He is a creature of habit and if I don’t go to bed the same time every night he will sit in the bedroom and make noise.  He doesn’t bark he just grumbles every 15 minutes or so. My husband and I will be sitting on the couch in the living room and he will be in the bedroom grumbling. 

My dog is 12 years old and set in his ways.  He makes me laugh more than any other dog I’ve owned.  He has an internal clock that goes off in the evening when it is time for his treats.  He sits in front of my husband and does the stare down.  I kid you not, he doesn’t blink he just stares.  He also shakes your hand for treats.  The thing is I know my dog loves me unconditionally.  He may give me the cold shoulder when I leave him but he still loves me. 

One day my dog will pass on and I will be heartbroken because he has been with me through many of the trials in my life.  When I had cancer he would curl up at the end of the bed and wouldn’t leave my side.  He always gets over being mad at me but I can always depend on him to love me without fail. 

God loves us the same way.  If He didn’t He would not have let His only Son die on a cross for our sins.  A blameless son died for a sinful world.  Do we disappoint God just like I disappoint my dog?  Yes we do, over and over again we disappoint our heavenly Father.  The thing is He keeps taking us back even when we fail Him.    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, my dog often gives me a picture of what Your love is like.  I praise You for loving me even when I don’t deserve it.  When I fail You are still waiting for me to return to You.  It is hard for me to comprehend a Father who loves a sinner like me enough to allow His Son to die on a cross so that I could be redeemed. Your love is amazing.

Scripture:    In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”  Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:12-14

Worry Your Life Away

Faith is made up of belief and trust. Many people believe God, but they do not trust themselves into His keeping and care; consequently, they are filled with worry and fear.  Lee Roberson

No one can pray and worry at the same time.  Max Lucado

Are you worried?  Have you noticed that humans are the only living thing on earth that worries?  Animals don’t worry about where their next meal will come from or where they will build their next nest.  They don’t build a bigger nest and store food up for the year.  They go out every day and forage for food or search each year for a new place to build a nest.  Birds flying south for the winter don’t all of a sudden decide they’re not going to be snowbirds and go to Florida this year.  They don’t even pack a bag.  They just take off and God instinctively gives them the direction to go.  The interesting thing is he also provides for everything they need.

If we ever understand that worrying is not going to change the outcome, we have won half the battle.  If God has a plan for each of us and if we understand that He does have a plan, then worry should not be part of the equation.  It is like telling God that He doesn’t know what He is doing. 

It would be different if we got paid to worry.  I would be a millionaire if that were the case.  I will say that I don’t worry near as much as I used to.  There is an exercise that I do that helps me get past worrying.  I replace worry with prayer.  Every time I catch myself worrying over something I have no control over, and believe me I have no control over anything, I stop myself and change that worry to prayer.  If you practice this for a while you will be amazed at how you will soon start to pray instead of worry.       

If we understand that worry is based on fear and to overcome our fear we need to depend on God instead of our meager resources, we will begin to see Him at work in our lives.  If you are worrying, give it to God and stand back and watch Him work.        

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, at one time I could have won an Academy Award for the best worrier.  My fear of what could happen overshadowed the work You were doing in my life.  Please keep my eyes focused on You and Your Greatness.  When I turn to You in prayer instead of worrying about the outcome, You can and will do amazing things in my life.

Scripture:  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:25-34