3/23/09
blessings
many times we seem to forget the many blessings God brings along our path. sometimes those blessings come in the form of other Christians and the kindness with which they show you. I am thank for those Christians and the blessings they allowed to flow through them from God. Thank you for being willing to be used.
3/20/09
about face
though from a line of soldiers, I have never enlisted in the military. true my father's generation considered it a reasonable duty. mine, well I am a product of the 60's and raised in the 70's so not enlisting was an afront to the system. by the 80's, military service was passe' as the cold war continued. not until the 90's did one realize that military service was an honor and not a duty. today our military is lauded as heroes as daily they put their lives on the line for us. my grateful thank you to our servicemen.
today's post is a continuation of an earlier post (read learning to press below).
I have found the secret to obtaining the prize daily! it begins at I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” this ALL includes times of temptation. there is no other way to get through them. verse 8, “Be sober, be vigilent; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” if you watch throughout the day you will be aware of those time when the devil has approached you with temptation, and if you brushed them off thats when he's got you. the greater attack will come when you least expect it and then its over. you are his lunch!
now to verse 9, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” ahem, you are NOT the center of the universe. the same temptation that you are afflicted with is the same that another brother or sister in Christ is rising above. it is at this time that obedience and submission to God should be first and foremost. not satisfying your flesh, which should be dead. another post for that.
finally in verses 10 and 11, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.” the only way you become perfect, stablished, strengthened and settled is to submit and allow yourself to be purified by God's fire. He only allows the temptation in order for you to become a stronger Christian. and the only way you can become a stronger Christian is to be purified. one cannot withstand temptation while full of their dead self. God cannot get the glory He is due while Christians are full of themselves.
that's the clincher! God will get glory from you one way or another. it is so much easier to submit and allow yourself to give Him the glory while being purified, than to have Him wrangle it out of you. daily have an about face to the devil and towards God!
today's post is a continuation of an earlier post (read learning to press below).
I have found the secret to obtaining the prize daily! it begins at I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” this ALL includes times of temptation. there is no other way to get through them. verse 8, “Be sober, be vigilent; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” if you watch throughout the day you will be aware of those time when the devil has approached you with temptation, and if you brushed them off thats when he's got you. the greater attack will come when you least expect it and then its over. you are his lunch!
now to verse 9, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” ahem, you are NOT the center of the universe. the same temptation that you are afflicted with is the same that another brother or sister in Christ is rising above. it is at this time that obedience and submission to God should be first and foremost. not satisfying your flesh, which should be dead. another post for that.
finally in verses 10 and 11, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.” the only way you become perfect, stablished, strengthened and settled is to submit and allow yourself to be purified by God's fire. He only allows the temptation in order for you to become a stronger Christian. and the only way you can become a stronger Christian is to be purified. one cannot withstand temptation while full of their dead self. God cannot get the glory He is due while Christians are full of themselves.
that's the clincher! God will get glory from you one way or another. it is so much easier to submit and allow yourself to give Him the glory while being purified, than to have Him wrangle it out of you. daily have an about face to the devil and towards God!
3/18/09
learning to walk
I don't remember when I learned to walk as a child. my parents and grandparents always said it was after my first younger brother learned. I guess he felt he had to catch up as he was the number two child. anyway, it is fact that I did eventually learn. Freedom! no more being carried, crawling on the ground, or scooting from place to place just to make it through this world. I was officially a biped!
my Christian life has been quite different. mainly crawling, scooting and being carried instead of walking. I was carried the first couple of years. hoping things would change but refusing to trust God to work. I crawled my way through Christian college instead of walking upright. giving the appearance of uprightness but still holding onto sin. lastly scooting from church to church seeking a place to feel “comfortable” in while I held onto my sin. odd how then I never seemed to understand that God was everywhere I was carried, crawled and scooted.
Matthew 14:29 tells of how Peter walked on the water to Jesus, “And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” many people tend to overlook the fact that Peter actually walked on the water and quickly condemn him for sinking, verse 30. I say, Peter walked on the water! and to whom? to Jesus. if we are ever going to walk in this Christian life is HAS to be to Jesus! there is no other way to make it in this world. sin is everywhere with its baubles of temptation. the devil would love to just dangle something shiny in front of us just so we look away from Jesus. but we must keep our eyes on Jesus so we will be able to walk in His power.
just as my parents had to hold onto me for several months just to keep me upright, God holds onto us. not for a few months or years but for eternity. He is that involved in our lives. He wants us to walk but more importantly He wants us to do it through His power, strength, and love. He knows we can be easily distracted and so with Him going before, He asks us to hold His hands and keep our eyes on Him. that's the only way to walk.
my Christian life has been quite different. mainly crawling, scooting and being carried instead of walking. I was carried the first couple of years. hoping things would change but refusing to trust God to work. I crawled my way through Christian college instead of walking upright. giving the appearance of uprightness but still holding onto sin. lastly scooting from church to church seeking a place to feel “comfortable” in while I held onto my sin. odd how then I never seemed to understand that God was everywhere I was carried, crawled and scooted.
Matthew 14:29 tells of how Peter walked on the water to Jesus, “And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” many people tend to overlook the fact that Peter actually walked on the water and quickly condemn him for sinking, verse 30. I say, Peter walked on the water! and to whom? to Jesus. if we are ever going to walk in this Christian life is HAS to be to Jesus! there is no other way to make it in this world. sin is everywhere with its baubles of temptation. the devil would love to just dangle something shiny in front of us just so we look away from Jesus. but we must keep our eyes on Jesus so we will be able to walk in His power.
just as my parents had to hold onto me for several months just to keep me upright, God holds onto us. not for a few months or years but for eternity. He is that involved in our lives. He wants us to walk but more importantly He wants us to do it through His power, strength, and love. He knows we can be easily distracted and so with Him going before, He asks us to hold His hands and keep our eyes on Him. that's the only way to walk.
3/17/09
my eternal Priest
I am Baptist. like died-in-the-wool, born and raised, till death removes me from this earth Baptist. the main reason I am of the Baptist faith is that it is the only one that I am able with which to align my beliefs. I've tried several evangelical churches but none that stay entirely true to God's word. the topic of today's post is one many have fallen away from.
Hebrews 7:15 & 16 states, “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.” feel free to study this guy Melchisedec, or Melchizedek, as he was the recipient of Abraham's tithes. in Jewish tradition, sins of the people were absolved by the sacrifices made daily by the Levite priests aka commandment from Moses given by God. once Christ died on the cross, those sacrifices became null and void as He paid the once for all sacrifice for our sins. HALLELUJAH! hence He was the priest after the order of Melchisedec and not a Levite.
verse 27 states it quite clear, “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” because the payment on the cross was the final sacrifice, I no longer have to rely on an earthly priest to absolve my sins through an animal sacrifice. Jesus Christ is the Eternal High Priest so only He can absolve my sins, whether committed already or those to be. this cuts out any earthly priest and any earthly form of sin removal. no human can wash away my sins, see I John 1:7.
I thank God that I can go directly to Him and ask forgiveness for every sin that I commit. trust me, I sin daily and the Holy Spirit convicts daily which means confession is daily as well. though God already knows my heart, “He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness” I John 1:9.
Hebrews 7:15 & 16 states, “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.” feel free to study this guy Melchisedec, or Melchizedek, as he was the recipient of Abraham's tithes. in Jewish tradition, sins of the people were absolved by the sacrifices made daily by the Levite priests aka commandment from Moses given by God. once Christ died on the cross, those sacrifices became null and void as He paid the once for all sacrifice for our sins. HALLELUJAH! hence He was the priest after the order of Melchisedec and not a Levite.
verse 27 states it quite clear, “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” because the payment on the cross was the final sacrifice, I no longer have to rely on an earthly priest to absolve my sins through an animal sacrifice. Jesus Christ is the Eternal High Priest so only He can absolve my sins, whether committed already or those to be. this cuts out any earthly priest and any earthly form of sin removal. no human can wash away my sins, see I John 1:7.
I thank God that I can go directly to Him and ask forgiveness for every sin that I commit. trust me, I sin daily and the Holy Spirit convicts daily which means confession is daily as well. though God already knows my heart, “He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness” I John 1:9.
3/15/09
stirring up the gift
I love Christmas. I love the lights, the noise, the smell, and the good cheer. sure some of it could be the excess but mainly it comes down to family. getting that opportunity to spend time with the ones you love. now as a child it wasn't the family that I loved unless they were giving me a gift. especially when it came to my brothers. the only opportunity I took then was to sneak over to the tree and shake those gifts that had my name on them. true it never told me what was in the box as it only moved the gift around, but I felt I had a pretty good clue before my dad walked in on me.
today God is beginning to shake up another gift. one that I laid down years ago and chose to walk away from. a gift I didn't particularly want but was given none the less. II Timothy 1:6 states, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” Preaching. I used to love it, used to do it and truly enjoyed being used by God while doing so. but I removed that mantle that God had placed on me years ago and chose to live for self. now as He teaches me to obey Him He is re-gifting it back. do I accept? verse 7 is the answer, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
the only way I can accept this gift is to whole-heartedly allow Him to live through me. accept the God-given power to preach what He gives me and trust Him to change the hearts of those receiving the message. it is humbling to realize that God wants me to finish what He has started. especially when I don't believe I am worthy. but as the pieces of God's puzzle come together one can only give Him the glory as it is only God that makes the pieces fit.
II Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
today God is beginning to shake up another gift. one that I laid down years ago and chose to walk away from. a gift I didn't particularly want but was given none the less. II Timothy 1:6 states, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” Preaching. I used to love it, used to do it and truly enjoyed being used by God while doing so. but I removed that mantle that God had placed on me years ago and chose to live for self. now as He teaches me to obey Him He is re-gifting it back. do I accept? verse 7 is the answer, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
the only way I can accept this gift is to whole-heartedly allow Him to live through me. accept the God-given power to preach what He gives me and trust Him to change the hearts of those receiving the message. it is humbling to realize that God wants me to finish what He has started. especially when I don't believe I am worthy. but as the pieces of God's puzzle come together one can only give Him the glory as it is only God that makes the pieces fit.
II Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
3/12/09
faithful is He
when I was young my mom was faithful. who would wake me up every morning? Mom. who would make me breakfast? Mom. who would help me get ready for school? Mom. as I grew older I soon learned to trust her to help me with a host of other things. homework, projects, cleaning my room and when I had my first crush on a girl she helped me make a valentine. not to mention being a good “back seat driver” when I was learning how to drive. mom was always there.
now isn't that the exact place God wants to be in our lives? I Thessalonians 5:9 & 10 reads, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” now we know we cannot obtain salvation any other way except through Jesus Christ, but once we have accepted Him we should be living with Him; daily. this should be done whether we wake (that means alive) or sleep (that means to be deceased). the totally cool part of this is if we skip to verse 24 of the same chapter reads, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” HALLELUJAH! not only is God our salvation but He is faithful in helping us to be His children! our Heavenly Father wants to be there whether we wake or sleep in order to make sure we are living right for Him. this is good! this parallels with II Corinthians 5:9 "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him." I once heard a radio preacher state that we shouldn't talk to God on every subject in our lives. WHY NOT! He already knows our hearts, knows what is going to happen anyway and I'm pretty sure He is the one who brought the situation into our life. um, why wouldn't you want talk to God on every thing in your life?
so what your'e saying is that Jesus Christ, who saved you, will also help you live for Him? bingo, I think you've got it! He is more faithful than my mom, no offense mom, as He is there at every step and every turn of my life. only God knows what's exactly in store for me every morning when I awake. just as He knows what step I should take at every turn of my life; God wants to be there to make sure my steps, turns and walk is with Him. if I am deceased then I am already walking with Christ in heaven. but as my heavenly life has not began, my Heavenly Father wants to walk with me in my earthly life. oh, how this makes one put their life into a different perspective.
I would rather walk aside the One who never fails than to step alone with the one who fails always.
now isn't that the exact place God wants to be in our lives? I Thessalonians 5:9 & 10 reads, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” now we know we cannot obtain salvation any other way except through Jesus Christ, but once we have accepted Him we should be living with Him; daily. this should be done whether we wake (that means alive) or sleep (that means to be deceased). the totally cool part of this is if we skip to verse 24 of the same chapter reads, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” HALLELUJAH! not only is God our salvation but He is faithful in helping us to be His children! our Heavenly Father wants to be there whether we wake or sleep in order to make sure we are living right for Him. this is good! this parallels with II Corinthians 5:9 "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him." I once heard a radio preacher state that we shouldn't talk to God on every subject in our lives. WHY NOT! He already knows our hearts, knows what is going to happen anyway and I'm pretty sure He is the one who brought the situation into our life. um, why wouldn't you want talk to God on every thing in your life?
so what your'e saying is that Jesus Christ, who saved you, will also help you live for Him? bingo, I think you've got it! He is more faithful than my mom, no offense mom, as He is there at every step and every turn of my life. only God knows what's exactly in store for me every morning when I awake. just as He knows what step I should take at every turn of my life; God wants to be there to make sure my steps, turns and walk is with Him. if I am deceased then I am already walking with Christ in heaven. but as my heavenly life has not began, my Heavenly Father wants to walk with me in my earthly life. oh, how this makes one put their life into a different perspective.
I would rather walk aside the One who never fails than to step alone with the one who fails always.
3/10/09
learn to press
I am not muscular. true I work out, exercise and eat right but muscle mass still eludes my form. I've come to accept the fact that a physique worthy of the Greeks should no longer be on my 'to do' list. it truly is unattainable for me. at this stage in life good health is better than a “perfect” physique.Paul must have been a true sports fanatic; if they existed back in the first century. he constantly refers to running, wrestling and fighting. I'm sure he must have been a fan of the Olympics or at least knew several of the athletes or even gladiators. no doubt we will get the chance to meet some he led to Christ. Philippians 4:13 & 14 states, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
for what are you pressing? Paul tells us to forget the past. hard to do as we are told to learn from our past, but this refers to our past life before meeting Christ. that life will either slow us down or back into it. we should reach forth to what Christ has for us in our new life. the fruits of the Spirit, His strength and power, and winning souls should be what we reach towards. pressing toward the end of our life, or mark, when God welcomes us home to heaven. and the prize? the priviledge of casting our crowns we won at the feet of Jesus. oh what a glorious day!
now that is something worth pressing for! earthly honor will only fade. what's stored in heaven is worth the wait.
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