Ashes2Fire Blog

Power and Grace

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:45:01 -0500

Matthew 8:1-4

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. ²A man with leprosy^[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

³Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

What an amazing display of both power and grace. Jesus had just finished preaching the Sermon on the Mount. People were amazed at the way that he taught. But there was one leper who heard the message. Apparently he heard from a distance, because lepers were not supposed to get close to people. This leper saw something in Jesus. He saw that Jesus had the power to do anything that he wanted to do. He was convinced that Jesus had the power to heal him of his leprosy. The only question was whether Jesus would be willing. I can imagine the enemy coming along side this man and telling him, "Jesus would never be willing to waste his power on a leper. There are many people more deserving than you." But this man heard Jesus say, "Ask and it will be given to you...For everyone who asks receives..." What did he have to lose? So he asked, and Jesus was willing. I am thankful today that Jesus is willing to cleanse and save me.

Ascension Thursday

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:58:01 -0500

Matthew 28:16-20

New International Version (NIV)

The Great Commission

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Today marks the day that Jesus ascended into heaven. This day is special, because on this day Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission. This is the heart beat and mission of the church. This day is also important, because it marks greater days coming. In only ten short days the Holy Spirit will be unleashed on the disciples empowering them to fulfill the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit will give them boldness and power to be witnesses of all the things they had seen. But the Holy Spirit will also be a deposit, guaranteeing our future home in heaven. And it all started on Ascension Thursday, when Jesus left to go and prepare a place for us. Wow, what a day.

high expectations

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:01:01 -0500

Ephesians 1:1-10

New International Version (NIV)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus,^[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:

²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he^[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship^[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹he^[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment —to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Talk about living up to expectations. Before the creation of the world, God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless. He chose us to be holy. This word means set apart or sacred. We were created and meant to be used by God and God alone. The word for church in the New Testament goes with this idea, it means called out ones. God has called his church to set apart from the world. God chose us before the creation of the world, to be holy. But God also chose us to be blameless. It literally means to be without blemish or blame. God wants us to be completely cleansed from sin. God is in the business of cleansing his church, until she is a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. This is what God has chosen to do, even before the creation of the world. Father I pray that you make us holy and blameless in Christ, according to your good will.

Future Generations

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:48:01 -0500

Psalm 78:1-7

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 78

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

¹My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
²I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
³things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
⁴We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
⁵He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
⁶so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.

We just celebrated Mother's day, and Father's day is in one month. Seniors will be graduating next week, and the rest of the kids will be out for the summer. We will send some to kids camps, as well as have a Vacation Bible School. All of these events and special days, ought to remind us of the important need we have as parents and grandparents, to pass our faith down to our children and grand children. This new generation of kids and teens face a culture that is saturated with the morally grey. Tolerance is the key word. If we do not teach them about the true God, then they will worship the god the world teaches. Father I pray you give us the grace and wisdom to teach the next generation your power and love.

Knowledge of God´s Will

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:50:01 -0500

Colossians 1:9

New International Version (NIV)

I think that is a great prayer offered by Paul and Timothy for the church in Colossia. Their desire and prayer was that the body of believers would be filled with the knowledge of God's will. I think everybody needs to know God will for their life. But this is not something they can look up in a book. It comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Father I pray that you would pour out your Spirit on our church today, filling us with knowledge of your will.

Way of Life

Fri, 11 May 2012 06:41:01 -0500

Matthew 7:13-14

New International Version (NIV)

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

There is a way that leads to destruction, and a way that leads to life. I want to choose the way that leads to life. But the way that leads to life is filled with difficulties and pain. The way that leads to life is filled with discouragement and sorrow. That is why so few people are willing to take this way. Instead they choose to travel the way that leads to destruction. This way is very deceiving, because it is filled with many people. The way of destruction is filled with every kind of pleasure and comfort that this world offers. Though it cost me everything I have, I want to take the way that leads to life. Father, I pray that you lead us in the way of life.

Enough for today

Thu, 10 May 2012 06:04:01 -0500

Matthew 6:25-34

New International Version (NIV)

Do Not Worry

²⁵“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? ²⁶Look 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? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If 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? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Worry about tomorrow's trouble, allows today's troubles to overwhelm us. I'm not yet 40, but I have realized that life is too precious to waste on worry. Before we know it, our time with loved ones are over. In an instant our kids are grown. Don't worry about tomorrow, enjoy the time has blessed you with today.

Treasures

Wed, 09 May 2012 06:35:01 -0500

Matthew 6:19-24

New International Version (NIV)

Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,^[a] your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eyes are unhealthy,^[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

This passage of scripture seems to directed at our generation even more than the original audience. I cannot imagine any generation so consumed by materialism. Nothing has added fuel to this crave more than technology. In fact people probably would not know what to do, if they had to go a day without a computer or a phone. But it is not just the general public that has bought into this addiction. The church has also purchased its share in the treasures of this world. Jesus in his foresight, looks down through history and tells our generation, "You cannot serve both God and Money." I pray, Father, that you will help us not to grow so attached to these things that are perishing, that we miss the eternal.

Forgiveness

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:03:01 -0500

Matthew 6:7-15

New International Version (NIV)

⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.
¹²And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,^[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]’

¹⁴For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

God does not require anything from us for Him to provide our daily bread, or deliver us from the evil one. But God does require something from us for the forgiveness of sin. If God had required money for forgiveness, then only the rich would receive it. If God required good works for forgiveness, then only those who were physically capable of doing good works would receive it. God made forgiveness available to everybody, but it is neither cheap or easy. God's only requirement is that we forgive those who have sinned against us. Everybody in some way has been or will be offended. God is willing to freely forgive all our sins, if we would offer the same grace to those who have sinned against us. Father, I pray you help us to learn the grace of forgiveness, so that we might also reap the fruit of forgiveness.

Encourage One Another

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:52:01 -0500

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

New International Version (NIV)

Believers Who Have Died

¹³Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

We are living in discouraging times. Just because we are Christians, does not mean that we will be exempt from the pains of this life. What it does mean is that we have a hope in an eternal future. Jesus Christ was dead, but he is a live again. The trumpet call of God will sound, the dead in Christ will rise, and we will meet the Lord in the air. To make the situation even sweeter, "we will be with the Lord forever." We need to continuously encourage one another with these words. We cannot afford to have anybody give up this close to the finish line. Father I pray that you encourage us through your word and your Holy Spirit, so that we in turn can encourage each other.

Be Perfect?

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:00:01 -0500

Matthew 5:38-48

New International Version (NIV)

Eye for Eye

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’^[a] ³⁹But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴²Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[b] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jesus tells his disciples to be perfect as God in heaven is perfect. What an amazing standard that has been placed on Christianity. Perfection is possible. I have seen pitchers throw a perfect game, bowlers bowl perfect games all the time. The Miami Dolphins had a perfect season in the NFL. If being perfect in our occupation, it would be something that we could and even should strive for. I strive to preach the perfect sermon, or pray the perfect prayer. Sandwich artist at Subway should strive to make the perfect sandwich for their customers. But Jesus asks, commands us to be perfect in the one area that everybody is deficient. Who could possibly be perfect in resisting an evil person? Who could love their enemies with unconditional love? These expectations are just too high. But God has never asked us to do what he has not already done. While we were still enemies, Christ died for us. God demonstrated his love for us by sending his son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sin. We can love, because he first loved us. Father I pray that you fill us with the kind of love that turns the other cheek, and loves their enemies unconditionally.

Put your pencils down

Fri, 04 May 2012 06:41:01 -0500

"Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest."

I remember taking timed test while in school. After the timer went off, the teacher would say, "Put your pencils down." The time was up. You were not allowed to do any more work. And yet there always seemed to be a few, that were still trying to get that extra bubble filled on the scantron sheet. God commands our rest. In Exodus 34 we hear the voice from heaven saying, "Put your pencils down." Somehow God knew the heart of man and the desire that we would have to either get that extra plowing done, or reap that extra harvest. Our culture is very production oriented, so there is a great temtation to continue to plow. There is also a shadow of greed over our culture, and with it comes the temptation to grab that extra harvest. Father I pray today that you would fill our hearts with your presence that we would be content to labor for six days and then to enjoy your rest on the seventh.

Relationships

Thu, 03 May 2012 06:54:01 -0500

Matthew 5:21-26

New International Version (NIV)

Murder

²¹“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²²But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b]^[c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’^[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

The relationships we have with each other, are relationships that we can see. We know when a brother or sister has something against us. We know when our relationship just is not right. But our relationship with God is an invisible relationship. We can't see the face of God and know whether he is disappointed or angry with us. That is why are relationship with God is so closely connected with our relationship with other brothers and sisters of Christ. When there is nothing between ourselves and other believers, then there will be nothing between ourselves and God. Then we can come and worship him with all our heart. Father I pray that you help us to maintain and strengthen our relationship with other believers, because that is the doorway to a deeper relationship with you.

Presence of God

Wed, 02 May 2012 06:23:01 -0500

Exodus 33:14-16

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

¹⁵Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

The golden calf incident demonstrated the stubborness of the people of God. God called them a stiff-necked people. He knew that if he were to go with them even a moment he would destroy them. But Moses pleads with God to have mercy, because Moses knew that it is the presence of God that distinguishes uthem from all the other people of the world. This is still true today. If we are stubborn and decide to go through this world alone, then we cannot be distinguished from everybody else. But Jesus promised to never leave us or forsake us. His Spirit separates us from the attitudes of this world. It is through his Spirit that we are made holy to God. Father today I pray that your Holy Spirit will come and be our guide, teaching us to serve you whole heartedly.

light and salt of the world

Tue, 01 May 2012 05:31:01 -0500

Matthew 5:11-16

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

What a huge responsibility God has placed on the church. We are to be salt and light to the world that we live in. We have to continuously ask ourselves, "What does the world see in me." God desires for the world to see our good deeds, so that they would praise our Father in heaven. There has got to be something about the life that we live which convinces our world. The only conclusion that the world could think of in response to our good deeds is that there is a God in heaven and that God is good. Father I pray that you help us to be the salt and the light to our world. Help us to live a holy life in their presence.

Sabbath

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:42:01 -0500

Exodus 31:12-18

New International Version (NIV)

The Sabbath

¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹³“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

¹⁴“‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. ¹⁵For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. ¹⁶The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. ’”

¹⁸When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

"You must observe the Sabbaths!" Those are the words that Moses was to tell the Israelites. This was not a negotiable issue, instead it was to be a binding covenant. Observing the Sabbaths was the Israelites part in this covenant. God's part of the covenant was to make them holy.

I believe that God still desires covenant relations with his people. There are things that only God can do, and that is his part of the covenant. But there are some things that you and I can do, like being obedient to his commands. Being obedient to all he has commanded us to do is our part of the covenant. Our Lord is faithful, and he still makes his people holy.

Father I pray you help us to turn off the things of this world, so that we may tune into what you desire for our lives.

A place to meet

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 08:06:01 -0500

Exodus 25:1-22

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Exodus 25

Offerings for the Tabernacle

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. ³ These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red and another durable leather^[a]; acacia wood; ⁶ olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁷ and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

⁸ “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. ⁹ Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

The Ark

¹⁰ “Have them make an ark^[b] of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.^[c] ¹¹ Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. ¹² Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ¹³ Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. ¹⁵ The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. ¹⁶ Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you.

¹⁷ “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ¹⁸ And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ¹⁹ Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. ²¹ Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. ²² There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

This morning as I read these verses I was encouraged, because it reminded me of two amazing things. 1. Verse 8 tells us that God desires to dwell among us. 2. Verse 22 tells us that God has prepared a place to meet with us. It is a terrible tragedy that going to church has become a burden for people in our society. There are so many other things that they want to do with their off day. It ought to give us great joy that God has prepared a place to dwell among us and to meet with us. Father give me a desire to always want to be in your house.

New Life

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:23:01 -0500

Colossians 2:9-15

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your sinful nature^[a] was put off when you were circumcised by^[b] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,^[c] God made you^[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.^[e]

^{In Christ all the fullness of God lives in bodily form, and in Christ we have been brought to fullness. What does it mean to be brough to fullness? Let me list he benefits.}

^{1. Our sinful nature has been circumcised off.

2. all of our sins have been forgiven.

3. Our legal indebtedness has been canceled.}

^{This ought to make us rejoice and shout, "GLORY!" God has done great things, and what is more, he has disarmed the powers and authorities. Our enemy stands before us disarmed. He has no power over us anymore. Satan is bluffing, he has no power left. The victory has been won. Let us rejoice and be glad in the new life that we have received in Christ Jesus.}

The desires of your heart

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:35:01 -0500

Psalm 37:4-5

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

⁴ Take delight in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

I think that verse four is a wonderful encouraging verse. I also think that it is a verse of scripture that we miss interpret because we do not read verse five. We cannot expect God to give us the desires of our hearts, if we do not first commit our ways to him. This week we see God as the shepherd of his people. It is important for his sheep to follow his direction and ways. Father I pray that you help us to commit each and every day to your will.

Rules to live by

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:15:01 -0500

Exodus 20:1-17

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

¹ And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before^[a] me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

These are probably the most influential rules ever written, and they were first spoken by the Lord our God. These rules were for God's people, so that they could live in a way that would be pleasing to him. These rules also address the major temptations that we face every day. These temptations can be narrowed down into two categories;

1. Elevating things above God
2. Elevating ourselves above others.

God is Holy, and there is none like him. God is a jealous God and will not share his glory with another. We cannot elevate the things of this world above God. We also must be careful not to elevate ourselves above others. We must humble ourselves, and that starts at home by honoring our father and mother.

Father I pray that you help us to realize these rules you have given your people are for our good. Help us to humble ourselves before you and before others.

Worthy of the Lord?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:07:01 -0500

Colossians 1:3-14

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all his people— ⁵ the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true word of the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world— just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. ⁷ You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,^[a] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our^[b] behalf, ⁸ and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^[c] ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[d] to share in the inheritance of his people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

To live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened will all power according to his glorious might, and giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you. Wow is really all I have to say about that. I am overwhelmed from the first to the last. Can I live a life worthy of God? Can I please him in every way? Am I bearing fruit, am I growing in the knowledge of God. Those sound too great for me to achieve, and maybe that is the point. It is God who qualifies us. Father I pray tonight that you would take my imperfections and transform them into a life that is worthy of you. I pray that I would please you in every way. Help me to bear fruit and grow in knowledge of You.

Peter´s Challenge

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:49:01 -0500

1 Peter 5:8-9

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your fellow believers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

On the way to the Mount of Olives to pray, Jesus told Peter, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:31-32)." Later on that evening after Jesus was arrested, Peter disowned Jesus three times. I wonder if those events were in Peter's heart as he warns the church to alert and of sober mind. Peter is challenging us to stand firm in our faith, just like Jesus challenged him to stand firm in his. Father I pray that we would stay alert through prayer, so that our faith would not be shaken by the attacks of the enemy.

Overcome

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:14:01 -0500

John 16:33

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus had just told his disciples that he was leaving. To them this probably sounded like the worst news ever. But to add to the bad news, they are told that in this world they would face trouble. The greek word that is used there can be translated pressure (literal or figurative) :afflicted, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, or trouble. So Jesus is telling his disciples that they will constantly be on the frontlines of war. The good news is that Christ has overcome, and because he has overcome, we too can overcome. In Christ we can have peace.

The Holy Spirit

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:43:01 -0500

John 16:1-15

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

John 16

¹ “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. ² They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the hour is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering a service to God. ³ They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. ⁴ I have told you this, so that when their hour comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, ⁵ but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. ⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Last night was a very special night at District Assembly. Dr. Stan Toler ordained eight new elders into the ministry of the Church of the Nazarene. I was reminded of the day that Dr. Jerry Porter ordained me into ministry. The responsibilities that are placed upon these new elders are extremely difficult, but God is faithful. The responsibilities that God has required on his ministers have always been great, but he provides for them the power of the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that I would never get so comfortable in ministry that I believe I could meet those responsibilities without his power.

God my hero

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:05:01 -0500

Psalm 18:1-20

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Psalm 18

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

^[a]¹ I love you, LORD, my strength.

² The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield^[b] and the horn^[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
⁷ The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
¹³ The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
¹⁴ He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

Last night during the Missionary Service, I was reminded of an amazing truth from Missionary Philip Rodebush. In the bible stories, God is always the Hero. Sometimes we can attribute super hero statis to bible characters like king David. But in Psalm 18, David attributes this role to God. To me the psalm resembles a comic book, where someone is in distress crying out for help, and the hero hears the cry and comes to save the day.

It think that the super hero concept has been so popular in our world, because people often find themselves in dire situations, wishing they had a savior. The good news is that those who call on the name of the Lord, do have a savior, and Jesus Christ is his name.

From his temple he heard my voice...
He parted the heavens and came down...
He mounted the cherubim and flew...
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced...
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them...
He reached down from on high and took hold of me...
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, my foes, who were too strong for me...

God is good

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:31:01 -0500

1 Peter 2:2-3

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Preacher: "God is good!"
Church: "All the time!"
Preacher: "All the time?"
Church: "God is good!"

I think that each of us could look at our lives and realize that God has been good to us. Not only have we not been punished as much as our sins have deserved, we have been blessed far beyond what we deserve. God has given us new life through Jesus Christ. But this new life must be nurished, and that comes through the pure spiritual milk of God's word. It is through this word, that we grow up in our salvation. We see everyday, moring by moring, that God is still good.

Warrior

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:53:01 -0500

Exodus 15:1-5

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

¹ Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

“I will sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.

² “The LORD is my strength and my defense^[a];
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
³ The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name.
⁴ Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.^[b]
⁵ The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.

A great saint, has to have a great God. There is nothing impossible for God. No army so big that God can not defeat it. These words encouraged me today, "The LORD is warrior, the LORD is his name." What ever battle you may be facing today, remember that our God is warrior, and he stands to defend his people. Father I pray for your protection today. Gaurd my mind so that I would think only pure thoughts, gaurd my mouth so that I would speak only words of encouragement, gaurd my eyes so that I would look only at what is pleasing to you, and gaurd my heart so that nothing in this world would rival my devotion for you.

Refining of Faith

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:59:01 -0500

1 Peter 1:1-12

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

1 Peter 1

¹ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

I loved the prayer this morning from John Wesley, "O God, infinite Goodness, confirm your past mercies to me by enabling me for what remains of my life to be more faithful than I have been up until now to your great command to love as I have been loved. Let me not rest in any external devotion, nor trust in words or sighs or tears. Let me know and feel what it is to love you with all my heart." To be more faithful than I have been, is my prayer as well. Peter says that asresults of receiving new life through the resurrection of Christ, we will have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. But this suffering only refines our faith and produces in us praise, glory and honor. Father help me to be more faithful.

Scripture and Power

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:21:01 -0500

Mark 12:18-27

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Marriage at the Resurrection

¹⁸ Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. ¹⁹ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰ Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. ²¹ The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. ²² In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³ At the resurrection^[a] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵ When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. ²⁶ Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’^[b]? ²⁷ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

Sadducees were biblical teachers who did not believe in the resurrection, therefore they were sadd-u-cee? They thought they would be cleaver and try to question Jesus with a trick question. "At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" Jesus said that they errored because they neither knew the scriptures, or the power of God.

Do we know scripture? Have we studied scripture enough to have a clear direction of God's plan for our lives? Do we read God's word every day, pondering its true meaning? I believe as Christians, we need to read God's word more. But what about God's power? Do we know the power of God? Have our lives been transformed by his power. Do we believe that God has the power to meet whatever need we face each day? Do we believe that the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, will raise us to new life also?

Father I pray that you help us to know your scriptures better, and in knowing them, we would also come to know your power.

In the twinkling of an eye

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:06:01 -0500

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[a]

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”^[b]

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Change is something that usually takes a long time. It happens so gradual, that sometimes you don't even recognize that you have changed. You get so familiar with the change that is taking place, when you look at an old picture, you are shocked that you once looked like that. These changes happen, because our bodies are perishing. We notice the change is not just in the appearance, but also on the inside. Aches and pains are common as we changing in this world, and they demonstrate that death and sin have dominion over our physical bodies. But the resurrection of Jesus changes everything. Death no longer wins, and sin has lost its power. Our physical bodies will give way to our eternal bodies. In a twinkling of an eye, the trumpet will sound, and death and sin will be no more. Father I thank you for the victory that we have through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Choking the Great Commission

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:24:01 -0500

Matthew 28:16-20

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is a very pivotal time for the disciples. Jesus has gone into heaven, but he left the disciples with a challenge and a promise. The challenge is, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded." There is nothing partial about this challenge. We are to go into all nations, and we are to teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded. We cannot be satisfied with just making disciples in our own area, we must be part of the church that knows no boundaries. We cannot be satisfied just teaching some of Jesus commands, we must be a part of the church that tells the whole truth. We dare not choke out the Great Commission by narrowing it down to our own comfort level. Father, open our eyes to see the whole world, and then give us the strength to go and make disciples. Continue to encourage us with the assurance that Jesus goes with us.

Die Daily

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:45:01 -0500

1 Corinthians 15:30-34

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

³⁰ And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? ³¹ I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”^[a]

³³ Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”^[b] ³⁴ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

Every day is different, there are no two days just the same. There might be a lot of things that fill our days that seem common, but each day is loaded with new challenges and fresh adventures. Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

"I die every day!" Those words seem like are an admission of failure. That would normally be the case, but Paul believes in the resurrection of the dead. Father help me to die today to the things of this world. Help me to die today to self, so that the life I live, I live for Jesus Christ and his glorification.

Hope for the Future

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:14:01 -0500

1 Corinthians 15:12-28

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵ More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others.

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a human being. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But in this order: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he “has put everything under his feet.”^[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Is there eternal life, when this life is over? This past weekend, we celebrated Easter Sunday. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but is there a resurrection for us as well? Genesis ends with the words, "So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after that they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt." Joseph had lived a good life. God had blessed him, making him the second highest power in all of Egypt. Through him, God brought about the salvation of many lives. But Joseph had been unfairly removed from his homeland. Would he ever get to go home? Joseph believed that a coffin in Egypt would not be the final word. He believed that God would come to the aid of Israel. So Joseph made the children of Israel promise, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."

Paul says, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all me." We have to make plans for our eternal life. We cannot live this life with the mindset that the end of the story is a coffin in Wichita Falls. Father help us to live our lives focused on eternity, and not on today's trials.

What Stone?

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:33:01 -0500

Mark 16:1-8

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Jesus Has Risen

¹ When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

The women went to the tomb early on the first day of the week, to anoint the body of Jesus with some spices they had bought. But on the way they it hit them, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" They had thought of everything, except that small detail. But the angel of God went ahead of them, and by the time they got to the tomb, the stone had been rolled away.

I have often wanted to do something great and sacred for my God, but have been frozen in my path wondering, "Who is going to move the obstacles away?" God is greater than any obstacle we will ever face. Father help me to serve you with all my heart and strength. Help me to not be frozen by my own limitations, or any obstacle that stands in my way.

Holy Saturday: Great High Priest

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:25:01 -0500

Hebrews 4:14-16

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The Saturday of Holy week, had to be the most depressing, gut wrenching day the disciples of Jesus could have ever experienced. I was the Sabbath day, which means there was not much they could do, but sit around and reflect on the events of the past week. I can imaginge that at no other time in their lives had they felt as weak as they felt that day. It is tough in today's age to understand the great sorrow they felt that day, because we live on this side of Resurrection Sunday, but for them it was as close to a hopeless Sabbath if there ever was one. God's work is finished, the big question is, will there be a new work week tomorrow? On this day of sorrow, let us remember our weaknesses, and reflect on a High Priest who understands the weakness and sorrow we feel. Father we do come before you today with confidence, because we know that Jesus understands our weaknesses. May Your Spirit encourage us on this day sorrow.

Good Friday: The Precious Blood

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:06:01 -0500

1 Peter 1:10-20

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^[a]

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

Last night as we watched The Passion of the Christ, my mind was filled with awe at the great sacrifice of our Lord. In one scene we see we see a large pool of blood left after Jesus was whipped by Roman Guards. In the next scene you see Mary the Mother of Jesus using towels to soak up all the blood off the ground. Then to open up my bible this morning and read, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." God is good and God is Holy. He calls us to be good and holy. But how can we ever be holy? Only by the blood of Jesus! Thank you for the blood. Though our sins were like scarlet, now they are white as snow.

Maundy Thursday: The Lord´s Supper

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:50:01 -0500

Mark 14:12-25

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Last Supper

¹² On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

¹⁶ The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸ While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹ They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”

²⁰ “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³ Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴ “This is my blood of the^[a] covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵ “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Today is Maundy Thursday, and on this day we commemorate Jesus eating the Passover with his disciples. Mark 14:12 "It was the first day of the Feast of unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb." Luke 22:15 Jesus tells his disciples, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." On this night Jesus will take the bread and identify it as HIS BODY. Then he will take the cup and identify it as HIS BLOOD. For the Christian Church, this meal would no longer be the Passover, but forever will be called The Lord's Supper. When we take of this meal, we are told to do so in remembrance of the Jesus' sacrifice.

The word Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "commandment,". It was on this night, as recorded in John 13:34-35, that Jesus gave them a new commandment. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Father I pray that on this Maundy Thursday, you will help us to remember the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, and help us to love each other as he has commanded us.

Wednesday of Holy Week: Spy Wednesday

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:20:01 -0500

Mark 12:1-12

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Mark 12

The Parable of the Tenants

¹ Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

⁶ “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
¹¹ the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’^[a]?”

¹² Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

The Spiritual Leaders had a problem. They knew Jesus was attacking their authority with his parable of the Tenants, but how could they deal with him? They wanted to arrest him, but two days before the crowds hailed him as their coming king, there is no way they could arrest him right now. So they began to devise a plan.

Today is what has traditionally be called as Spy Wednesday. It was called Spy Wednesday, because it is believed on this day that Judas accepted 30 pieces of silver, in order to look for an opportune time to hand Jesus over to the Sanhedrin. It is interesting how Matthew's account (26:14-25) unfolds. Judas is with Jesus and the other disciples eating the Passover. Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. "They were sad and began to say to him one after the other, 'Surely not I lord?'" "Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, 'Surely not I, rabbi?'" 1Corinthians 12:3, "Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus is cursed,' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit."He would be the one, who would spy on our Lord. The one not filled with the Holy Spirit, but rather filled with Satan himself.

On this Spy Wednesday, we must ask ourselves, "Would I sale my relationship with Christ for 30 pieces of silver?" Lord I pray that you help us to be faithful to you as we walk through this world of material greed.

Tuesday of Holy Week. Lordship

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:02:01 -0500

Mark 11:27-33

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

²⁷ They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. ²⁸ “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

³¹ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘Of human origin’….” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Today is Tuesday of Holy Week, So what really happened on that day? Well Mark tells us that Jesus and his disciples made their way back to Jerusalem for another encounter with the Spiritual leaders. They passed by the fig tree that Jesus had cursed the day before and Jesus used that opportunity to teach his disciples about faith. Upon walking around in the temple courts, Jesus was questioned by the Spiritual Leaders, "By what authority are you doing these things?" This really is a question of Lordship. The only credentials that Jesus needs to clean out our lives is that he is Lord. These Spiritual Leaders were not about to acknowledge that Jesus was Lord, because that would call to question their own authority.

On Tuesday of Holy Week Jesus would do some of his most amazing teachings. These teachings are recorded in Mark 11:27-13:37. As you read those teachings of Jesus, you will notice the theme of Lordship. Father today help us to recognize the authority and power of Jesus. Help us to submit to his Lordship in our lives and ministry.

Monday of Holy Week Fruitless?

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:43:01 -0500

Mark 11:12-26

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’^[a]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[b]”

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples^[c] went out of the city.

²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly^[d] I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and do not doubt in your heart but believe that what you say will happen, it will be done for you. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

It is Monday morning of Holy Week, and Jesus is going to confront the spiritual leaders head on. Leaving Bethany that morning Jesus sees a fig tree, and being hungry he went to find out if it had any fruit. The tree had nothing on it, and Jesus was angry with the fig tree. Was it really the fig trees fault that it did not bear any figs? We are told that it was not the season for figs, and yet Jesus curses the tree any way. Jesus' strong action against a fruitless tree will set the stage for what he will do when he gets to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, the season is perfect for producing fruit. Many people have journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. People have come to the temple with their offerings and with their prayers, hoping to find forgiveness and grace. Instead they find a marketplace. So Jesus cleans the temple by driving out the merchants.

On leaving the temple they noticed the fig tree that Jesus cursed. It had withered. Jesus then tells his disciples that the key ingredient to producing fruit is faith. If a fig tree was accountable even though it was not in season, how much more are we accountable during the greatest season of the year. Father I pray that you would cleanse our hearts of doubt and fill us faith that we may produce fruit.

Wont be Quiet!

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 05:57:01 -0500

Mark 10:46-52

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Bartimaeus had set up his begging spot in the perfect location. He was right along the side of the road, as people made their way to Jerusalem. This road would be traveled heavily by pilgrims visiting Jerusalem for the great feast of Passover and unleavened bread. I don't know how many people he had begged already that day, but business was about to pick up, a very large crowd was heading his way. I can imagine Bartimaeus wondering who could merit such a large following. He began to ask people what dignitary was coming, and somebody said Jesus of Nazareth. His eyes might have been broken, but his ears and voice worked fine, "When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, 'Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!'" People tried to get him to be quiet, but his voice would not be chained, "he shouted all the more, 'Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!'" Nothing could stop Bartimaeus from shouting out for mercy. Mercy is exactly what we need today as well. Father, I pray as we cry out for mercy, our voices are not quieted by a faithless world.

Reasons for Adversity

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:26:01 -0500

2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

¹ Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Being a follower of Jesus is not for wimps. Servants for Jesus' sake will be hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. Followers of Jesus will always be given over to death for Jesus sake. Not necessarily the greatest recruiting pitch for new recruits. But there are two reasons for such adversity. First we face these adversities to "show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not us." We cannot save ourselves, but God can. Second reason for adversity in the life of a servant of Jesus, "so that Jesus may be revealed in our mortal bodies." It is God's desire for His son to be revealed in this dark world, and he does this through instruments like you and me. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Lord I pray that you help us to endure hardships and adversities, knowing that you will be glorified through our lives.

Gnats

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:55:01 -0500

Exodus 8:16-19

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Plague of Gnats

¹⁶ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” ¹⁷ They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. ¹⁸ But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.

Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, ¹⁹ the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.

The other evening, my wife and I went on a walk, and we came across a swarm of gnats. They followed us a few blocks. When I looked over at my wife, I could see a cloud of gnats hovering over her head. Gnats are probably the most annoying creatures out there. God told Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,' and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.'" Not only are gnats annoying, this was the first plague that Pharaoh's magicians could not duplicate. The magicians were convinced, "This is the finger of God." And yet Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and he becomes stubborn. I wonder how many times we know that God is speaking to us, and yet we refuse to listen, just like Pharaoh? Lord I pray that you would open our ears and help us to listen and obey your commands.

Indignant

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:37:01 -0500

Mark 10:13-16

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Little Children and Jesus

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Jesus became indignant at his disciples. They had rebuked people who were bringing children to Jesus, to have him touch them. "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Jesus was indignant, because his disciples had become a hindrance to church growth. Instead of bringing people to Jesus, they were preventing people from coming to Jesus. Maybe Jesus became indignant because his disciples felt that children were not important. Maybe he became indignant because his disciples were so quick to forget his earlier lesson. The day they were arguing about who the greatest disciple was, Jesus took a little child in his arms and said, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me"(9:37). I wonder if Jesus looks down at the church today and becomes indignant. Have we ever prevented people from coming to Jesus, instead of bringing people to Jesus? Have we heard to the message of Christ, and then completely forgotten about it the next day? Maybe we can follow the pattern of a little child when disciplined, and seek the loving forgiveness of the father. Lord help was not to become a hindrance to the growth of the kingdom, but rather help us to seek it with the faith of a little child.

Watching Over

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:13:01 -0500

Psalm 121

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121 was probably used by those who were on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for one of the feasts. Jerusalem was built up on a mountain and Judea was a very hilly terrain. A lot of dangerous awaited those who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The phrase watches over appears five times in this Psalm. Hills were also a very popular location for temples for false gods. So the real question that Psalm 121 asks is, "Who is going to watch over me on my pilgrimage?" The answer is a resounding, "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Every bit of our life is a long journey made up of small journeys. We are just pilgrims trying to home. And this pilgrimage comes with many dangers along the way. The question is, "Who is going to watch over me on my pilgrimage?" I refuse to turn to all the things of this world that people tend to put their faith and trust in. "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Lord help me to depend on you always as my strength and my source of protection.

Pride

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:12:01 -0500

Mark 9:33-41

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly be rewarded.

Pride could very well be the achilles heel of the church. It appears that pride causes arguing and division among the disciples of Christ. Pride even made the disciples push outsiders away, but Jesus responds, "Do not stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." We are all on the same team, we cannot be arguing and divided, because then the enemy wins. Instead we must take the role of a servant, elevating and encouraging others, in order to build up the church. Lord I pray you help us to lift up the body of Christ by being a servant of all.

Help me overcome!

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 06:26:01 -0500

Mark 9:21-24

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Maybe it was because the evil spirit had controlled his son since childhood. Maybe it was because he brought his son to the disciples of Jesus and they could not drive it out. Or maybe it was because even when Jesus is on the scene, the evil spirit wields its control over the boy. Whatever the reason, this battle tested father's faith is waning. "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." He wants to believe that Jesus could heal his son, but he has had his hopes shattered before. Jesus looks at him and says, "Everything is possible for him who believes." There is a battle going on in this man's soul between doubt and belief. But the father musters up the courage, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Maybe we are just like this man. We truly need God to do a miracle in our lives, but there is a battle going on in our soul. We want to believe that God can perform this miracle, but our hopes have been shattered before. We have read so many stories of Jesus miracles, and how he would turn to the healed person and say, "Your Faith has made you well." We want that kind of faith, but doubt is still holding us back.

We need the courage of this man to come to Jesus and confess our doubts, and trust him to help us in our weaknesses.

God is Concerned

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:41:01 -0500

Exodus 2:23-25

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

²³ During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. ²⁵ So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

What a tremendous thought, the God who created the universe is concerned with His creation. God looked down, and he saw the injustice. He saw his people being oppressed. He heard their cry for help, and he was concerned about them. The idea that God created the world and just left it to run on its own is a lie. The idea that God is not concerned about the hurt that is going on in the world is a lie. The idea that God is too busy to intercede in human affairs is a lie. The devil is the father of lies, and he is trying to convince people to not cry out to God in their times of need. The cross of Jesus tells the whole world that the devil is a liar. God is concerned, God loves, and God delivers. Father, I pray you help us to not believe the lies of the enemy. We thank you for your concern and love for us.

Psalm 102:19-20, "The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death."

Weakest Link?

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:44:01 -0500

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Unity and Diversity in the Body

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Not too long ago, there was a game show called The Weakest Link. I think that might be the way our culture thinks. We feel that only the strongest survive, so if you can't keep up, you are pushed to the side and left behind. Does this happen in the church as well? Do we strive to be better than other believers? Do we boast of our own righteousness? The church is meant to be a body, which means that there should be no division. Each part should have equal concern for each other. Lord help us to be one, so that the world will know that we belong to you.

Still don´t understand?

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:19:01 -0500

Mark 8:14-21

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

I remember taking math in highschool. It was difficult for me, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get it. It appears that the disciples had the same problem that I had. Five loaves divided by five thousand men equals twelve basketfuls. Seven loaves divided by four thousand men equals seven basketfuls. It is much easier when the teacher is working it out on the chalk board, but then the teacher gives you a problem to solve yourself. One loaf divided by twelve men equals "We have no bread?" I was one of the lucky ones, I had an algebra teacher invest time in me until I understood it. In the same way Jesus keeps coming along his disciples and teaching them the TRUTH. I pray that before the season of Lent is over, we will finally understand.

Craving Home

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 05:45:01 -0500

Genesis 49:29-33

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

The Death of Jacob

²⁹ Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. ³¹ There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. ³² The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.^[a]”

³³ When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Jacob knew his time on earth was drawing to a close, and the last thing on his mind was that he was not where he belonged. Jacob had to leave his home one time before. He had just stolen his brother's blessing and now was heading to his mother's homeland. God met him along the way, in a place he would later call Bethel, to let him know that he would be with him and would bring him back to this land. God had been faithful to Jacob and did bring him back. Just like the first time Jacob left the land, he had a dream along the way. God told him once again, "I will go with you, and I will bring you back again." God was faithful the first time, and God was fatihful this time also.

As we draw closer to God during this season of Lent, it becomes even more clear, that this is not our home. There is a craving in our souls for the New Jerusalem. God is faithful.

Faith for Crumbs

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:08:01 -0500

Mark 7:24-30

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.^[a] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. ²⁵ In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil^[b] spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶ The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁸ “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

³⁰ She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

We desire the fullness of God. We desire to have a table spred before us with a four course meal. We would enjoy the meat, the vegetables, the potatoes and the hot buttered rolls. The want the best that God has to offer us. But then comes this women who says, "even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." If you are desperate, I guess you will take what you can get. But this woman had faith that believed that the crumbs left by children would be enough to supply her needs. Lord we pray that you would open the flood gates of heaven and pour out your Spirit on us, but just a little sprinkle would be enough.

Fighting Temptation

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 08:24:01 -0500

1 Corinthians 10

Warnings From Israel’s History

¹ For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”^[a] ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ,^[b] as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. ¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation^[c] has overtaken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted^[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,^[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

While Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, he had an answer for every temptation that was thrown at him. It would be great if we knew that we also had all the answers to the temptations that Satan throws at us. Paul tells the Corinthian church, that we do. Our failure is that we try to overcome temptation on our own. Paul says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

God is faithful.
God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
God will provide a way out.

Let us lean on God, when the desires of this world try to pull us in.

Straining at the oars

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:00:01 -0500

Mark 6:47-56

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

⁴⁷ When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵² for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴ As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

The disciples were in a boat the middle of the lake, and Jesus was on a mountainside. Jesus saw his disciples straining at the oars. The Greek word used in this verse means torture, pain, toil, torment. In other words, the disciples are really struggling. It is probably at that time, that they felt all alone. They felt that God was so far away. Maybe you have felt that way as well, but take comfort in the good news that not only did Jesus see them straining, "he went out to them." Jesus sees us in our struggles, and he comes to our aid.

Food for the Soul

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:41:01 -0500

Mark 6:30-44

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. ³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

³⁵ By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take almost a year’s wages^[a]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸ “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

The story of Jesus feeding the 5000 is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. This is an important miracle, because it demonstrates Jesus compassion on the hungry multitude and his amazing power to supply their needs. But the miracle as recorded in the Gospel of Mark shows Jesus concern for the soul of his disciples and the crowd. The disciples were exhausted from doing ministry, and so Jesus decides to give their soul some refreshing time. We desperately need quiet places alone with Jesus to get rest for our souls. While there, Jesus notices the large crowds, that were like sheep without a shepherd. It is the shepherd who leads sheep to quiet and still waters. This point cannot be missed as "Jesus directed his disciples to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass." We have a God who desires to meet our physical needs, while refreshing our souls as well.

A revived spirit

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 06:51:01 -0500

Genesis 45:25-28

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

²⁵ So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. ²⁷ But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. ²⁸ And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

I can imagine the joy that Jacob felt to see his sons come home. Especially Benjamin, who he had been worried so much about sending him to Egypt. Jacob's sons returned home with a lot more than he expected. Each of them were wearing brand new clothes and following them were carts and donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt and a great supply of provision. Seeing his sons brought relief, seeing the provisions brought a smile, but nothing could prepare him for what his ears were about to hear. "Joseph is still alive! In fact he is ruler of all Egypt." At first Jacob is stunned. The King James version says, "And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not." They about gave their dad a heart attack with the great news. But after Jacob looked around and saw the new clothes and the great provision, he believed their words, and his spirit was revived. After twenty two years of a depressed beaten down spirit, God revived him. God can revive our spirits as well this season of Lent.

A great deliverance

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 06:27:01 -0500

Genesis 45:1-15

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

¹ Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.^[a]

⁸ “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. ⁹ Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. ¹⁰ You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’

¹² “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

¹⁴ Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. ¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

So Joseph could not stand it any longer. He had to reveal himself to his brothers. I see a deep battle going on in the mind and heart of Joseph. As soon as Joseph had recognized his brothers, he was interested in Benjamin. He probably wondered if Benjamin was going through the same treatment that he himself had to go through at the hands of his brothers. So Joseph constructed a plan to rescue his brother from their grips. He would place the stolen goods in Benjamin's sack. Benjamin would become his slave, everybody else would go home, Joseph would reveal himself to Benjamin, and everybody lives happily ever after. But God had already constructed a plan to rescue not just Benjamin, but Jacob and his whole family, "a great deliverance." God's plans are always bigger than our plans. During this season of Lent, let us surrender to God's plan.

Freed from Suffering

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 06:34:01 -0500

Mark 5:24-34

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

²⁴ So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

"Be freed from your suffering". Who would not want to hear those words of healing from our Savior? Suffering is a part of this world, and this lady had received her fair share of it. She had a blood disease for twelve years, that continuously made her unclean for worship. The bible says, "she suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and spent all that she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse." When all her resources were exhausted, I can imagine she gave up any hope of being free from her suffering. Then Jesus just happened to be passing by. A once in a lifetime opportunity, and she made the most of it. She made her way through a crowd that must have been considerable large, just so she could touch his cloak. As soon as she touched his cloak, "Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." To her, suffering must have felt like chains that shackled her, but those chains were broken now. Maybe it felt like a heavy millstone tied around her neck, but now that millstone is gone. But is she really free, or is this some horrible trap? She stands at the door of her opened cage, not sure of what to do. "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Lent is about getting closer to Jesus, even if it is just to touch his cloak and be freed from our suffering. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Time is short

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:54:01 -0600

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

²⁹ What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who are married should live as if they were not; ³⁰ those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; ³¹ those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

People from every generation and every culture have had the problem of attaching themselves to heavily to the things of this world. That is the beauty of Lent. We separate ourselves for a short time from things that we will be separated from for eternity. The closer that eternity gets, the more urgent the need to cut ourselves off from the things of this world. Take this time of Lent to do an inventory on the things that you have bought, and the things that you use. My boy could be playing his DS, and I say, "It is time for school", "It is time for bed." Their response most of the time is, "I'm in a battle", "I'm not at a place I can save." Paul is saying that the end of our time on this earth is growing closer every minute. At any moment God can say, "Come Home!" My prayer is that I could just relinquish whatever it is in this world that I have bought, or that I am using, and answer, "I'm coming Home!"

Don´t Delay

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:34:01 -0600

Genesis 43:1-15

New International Version (NIV)

The Second Journey to Egypt

¹ Now the famine was still severe in the land. ² So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”

³ But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴ If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. ⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”

⁶ Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”

⁷ They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

⁸ Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. ⁹ I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. ¹⁰ As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. ¹³ Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. ¹⁴ And may God Almighty^[a] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

¹⁵ So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.

God wants to provide for the needs of Jacob, set his son Simeon free from prison in Egypt, and reunite him with his long lost son Joseph. Yet Jacob delays. I wonder how many blessings God has in store for us that are being delayed because of our fear to trust Him. The main objective through the Season of Lent, is to learn to trust God with everything we have.

Scatter and Reap

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:23:01 -0600

Mark 4:26-29

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The farmer has two roles; scatter the seed and reap the harvest. Jesus uses this illustration to discuss the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is very present and active, even though, "night and day, whether we sleep or get up, the seed sprouts and grows, though we do not know how." We do not know how the Kingdom of God is working in somebody's life. As Christians our only two roles are the same as the farmer's. Scatter the seed and reap the harvest.

If you have a loved onethat you are praying for, just keep scattering the seed. The Kingdom of God is working even though we do not know how.

Road Blocks to Salvation

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:08:01 -0600

Mark 4:13-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Road Block #1
Satan: As soon as the Word of God is spoken Satan comes and takes it away. Whenever the Word of God is preached, the great advisary of the soul is swooping in and taking away the seed before it has a chance to produce a harvest. People with hard hearts are his feeding ground.

Road Block #2
Persecution: They have no root, so as soon as Persecution comes, they quickly fall away. Shallow Christianity is a great threat to the church today. Maybe even more so than hard hearts. Church just every so often is not going to be able to cut it when persecution comes.

Road Block #3
Deceitfulness of Wealth: Wealth is deceitful. Even in the church, we can buy into the lie that money will solve most if not all of our problems. Mix in a few worries and our faith will be choked out. Complete trust in the Lord for our daily provision is the only cure.

Allow this Season of Lent to soften our hearts, deepen our relationship with God, and move us to complete dependance on His mercies.

sinful nature

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:45:01 -0600

1 Corinthians 5:1-8

New International Version (NIV)

¹ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,^[a]^[b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The church has always been called to seperate itself for the immoral things of this world. What makes this scripture so difficult to read, because it deals with someone so closely connected to us. To expel a brother is like cutting off your own arm. There is great pain involved, because we are bond together. To expel a brother would intel ripping one part of the body away from all the rest. But we do this so that the "sinful nature" can be destroyed.

The season of Lent calls us to seperate ourselves from the immoral things of this world, both collectively and personally. Jesus says in Matthew 5:29-30, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to too into hell."

There are personal things in each of our lives that we need to cut off/expel, so that the "sinful nature" can be destroyed.

Manasseh and Ephraim

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:45:01 -0600

Genesis 41:50-52

New International Version (NIV)

⁵⁰ Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. ⁵¹ Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh^[a] and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” ⁵² The second son he named Ephraim^[b] and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Joseph has gone through a lot so far in his life, and he was only 30 years old. He had been sold by his brothers, unfairly thrown in prison, and forgot about by those he helped. It is enough to make a person bitter towards all the people who let him down. But Joseph seemed to find strength in God who was always with him. Ultimately he is elevated to a place of power in the court of Pharaoh. He interprets a dream that a time of abundance will come on the land for 7 years, and then a time of famine will come on the land that would be so severe, that it would cause people to forget the 7 years of abundance. I guess it is easy for something to be so bad to that we forget about all the good that we have enjoyed. It seems like this is a common occurance in our culture of, "What have you done for me lately!"

In the midst of the 7 years of abundance God blessed Joseph with a son, Manasseh. This one blessing caused Joseph to forget all the trouble that he had gone through. If forgetting troubles were not good enough God blessed Joshep with another son, Ephraim. Joseph looked at this blessing as God making him fruitful in the midst of suffering.

Regardless of the pains that you have encountered in your life, God can bless you to the point of forgetting. What is even more, God can bless you even in the midst of suffering.

Jesus vs. The Sabbath

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 07:20:01 -0600

Mark 2:23-3:6

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

¹ Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

In one corner we have Jesus. Jesus has already demonstrated in the book of Mark that he has authority over evil spirits, and power to heal people. But he has never had to go against the Pharisees' most experienced fight, The Sabbath. The Sabbath parlizes and cripples even the strongest foe. The Sabbath brings everything to a halt. Nothing happens on The Sabbath. This will be a great match-up. Mark 2:23-28 will be their first encounter. Jesus's disciples begin to pick grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees throw a flag and call that an illegal move on behalf of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus declares that the Pharisees need to go back and reread the rule book, because this has indeed happened in the past. Then Jesus makes an amazing statement, declaring himself the winner, "So the Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath."

I wonder how many times we become paralized and crippled because of legalistic church rules? Even the season of lent can become a time of you cant do this and you cant do that. Not even Lent stands up against the Sovereignty of Christ. I can hear Jesus say, "So the Son of Man is Lord even over lent."

Temple of God

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:30:01 -0600

1 Corinthians 3:16-23

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

¹⁸ Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”^[a]; ²⁰ and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”^[b] ²¹ So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas^[c] or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, ²³ and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

In the preceeding verses, Paul was telling the church in Corinth to be careful how they built their spiritual lives. Now he tells them why they are to be careful. Their very lives are God's Temple and God's Holy Spirit lives in them. The temple is a very sacred place. It is to be pure and holy place, where God makes His dwelling. This verse is powerful, because Paul is telling us that we are to be holy and pure. We are not to corrupt our lives with the things of this world, because God makes his dwelling in us. It is more than just, God is right there beside you and sees the detestable things that you participate in. He dwells within you and is affected by your actions.

Building Material

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:07:01 -0600

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

The author of the children's story The Three Pigs, might possibly received his inspiration from Paul's letter to the Corinthian Church. Each one should build with care. How are we building our spiritual abode? Paul lists six building materials, but they could easily be divided into two catagories

Good Material: Gold, Silver, Prescious Stone: These materials are expensive, hard to find, beautiful, but most importantly they are permanent.

Bad Material:Wood, hay, straw: these materials are inexpensive, easy to find, (could be ugly), but most importantly easily destroyed or temporary.

The truth is people are a lot like those three little pigs. they are looking for the path of least resistence. They want a cheap and easy spiritual life. But a spiritual life built on inexpensive and easy to find material will not last.

We are to seek God with all our heart, and then we will find him. We are to forsake all things and follow Jesus. Our spiritual life is not to be inexpensive or easy, but a spiritual life built on these hard to find expensive and even prescious stones, will stand the test, and come out pure. That is my goal this season of Lent. I want to take my walk with Jesus seriously, and be made pure and holy at his coming.

Are you willing?

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:27:01 -0600

Mark 1:40-42

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

⁴⁰ A man with leprosy^[a] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Jesus was indignant.^[b] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

The question was not whether Jesus was able to make him clean. The man questioned whether Jesus was willing to make him clean. Maybe we fall into this scenario sometimes as well. We believe in our hearts that God is more than able to provide for us our daily needs. We even believe that God is able to perform healing miracles in our physical lives. I believe with all my heart that God is able to transform our spiritual dry lives into an oasis of His grace and power. Once we get to that conclusion, we wrestle with God's willingness. Why would God want to provide for us our daily needs? Why would God want to perform miracles in our physical lives? Why would God want to transform our spiritual lives? There are some people who think they are owed things, but nobody has paid God, that he would owe us anything. God is willing because he has the love of a father. It is by grace that Jesus comes along and says, "Be clean!"

In Matthew 10:1,7-8 "He (Jesus) called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness... As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." In our world, the church is surrounded by hurting people. Are we willing?

Value

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:41:01 -0600

Genesis 37:17-28

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. ²⁰ “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

²¹ When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. ²² “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels^[a] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

This really is a sad story of brothers that at first had plotted to kill their younger brother, but then decided to try and make a profit. They sold him for twenty shekels of silver. That is all the value that they saw in their brother. If that is the kind of value that we see in relatives, those closest to us, how much do we value the outcast of society? Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He ate with sinners and tax collectors. He touched lepers and healed them. It is obvious that Jesus believed that people had an amazing worth to him. The really sad story, is the value that was placed on Jesus. Judas sold Jesus for only thirty silver coins. How much do we value Christ?

Eagerly Wait

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:24:01 -0600

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

New International Version (NIV)

Thanksgiving

⁴ I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— ⁶ God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. ⁷ Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸ He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

There is a difference between waiting for something or somebody, and eagerly waiting. A person who is eagerly waiting cannot control their anticipation. They are vigilant in their watchfulness. That is how I want to be as I wait for the return of Christ. I don't want to just sit in a pew, with no ugernt anticipation. I do not want to become complacent, and allow that day to sneak up on me. I want to eagerly await for our Lord Jesus Christ to be reaveled.

Our Power Source

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:28:01 -0600

Philippians 4:10-20

New International Version (NIV)

Thanks for Their Gifts

¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

¹⁴ Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. ¹⁵ Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; ¹⁶ for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. ¹⁷ Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. ¹⁸ I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

²⁰ To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The fourteen week journey from Ash Wednesday is not an easy walk in the park. With any journey, there are going to be some enjoyable moments and some not so enjoyable moments. Paul realized that it did not matter what moment he was in along the way, God was strengthening him. So Paul could say with full confidence, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Christ was that unending source of strength that Paul had tapped into. Paul did not just rely on this source when things were unenjoyable. He relied on this source of strength even when everything was running smoothly. When things are tough these next fourteen weeks, let us tap into this great power source. And when times are great, let us continue to remain connected to the God who "will meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Repent and Live

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:45:01 -0600

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

The One Who Sins Will Die

¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

“‘The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

³ “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. ⁴ For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

²⁵ “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? ²⁶ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. ²⁷ But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. ²⁸ Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. ²⁹ Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

³⁰ “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. ³¹ Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

I have often heard that life is not fair. But is God fair? Apparently there was a big push back in Ezekiel's day, to declare that God was not fair, because he was willing to forgive a sinner who repented, and punish a righteous person who sinned. Not only is God fair, he is compassionate, not taking pleasure in the death of anyone. God so loved the world that he made a way for man to turn from the sins of his past and live life in obedience to him. He has made available for us a new heart and a new spirit. The old heart had it's desires on things of this world, but the new heart will desire God and him alone. The old spirit was corrupt in its thinking, having its mind set on destructive thoughts. The new spirit is pure and holy with its mind set on God. Repenting of our sinful ways is the only way to life.

Citizenship in Heaven

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:09:01 -0600

Philippians 3:12-21

New International Version (NIV)

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶ Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷ Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. ¹⁸ For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Paul has been talking about the transition from a Self-centered life to a Christ-centered life. It is Paul's desire to consider rubbish all his past pursuits of righteousness, so that he might gain a righteousness that comes by faith. "He wants to know Christ and the power of his ressurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, attain to the resurrection from the dead." As our daily passage begins, Paul makes an amazing confession, "I'm not there yet!" Paul had not obtained those things that he had desired, but he forgot what was behind him, and he stained toward what was ahead. The journey of Lent is not an easy journey. We do not strain at easy things. It is difficult to transition our minds from earthly things to heavenly things, but the reward will be great. The thing that kept Paul moving was the thought, "Our citizenship is in heaven." This world was not where he belonged. This world is not our home, we are just passing through.

It is all about the heart

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:49:01 -0600

Luke 18:9-14

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The Season of Lent is a time of fasting and praying. Fasting is a time of seperating ourselves from the things of this world, so that we can be closer to God. Fasting is also a time to identify with the sufferings of Jesus. As we see in our Gospel reading today, fasting can also lead to a proud heart. When we have a proud heart, all our concentration is on ourselves. Look what I am giving up for Lent. Look at the sacrifices that I am making. Instead the Season of Lent should be a humbling experience. It is in this season that we are reminded daily of what Jesus gave up to come to earth. It is also in this season that we are reminded daily of The Sacrifice. Our hearts should be humbled when we consider that Jesus became poor so that we might be rich. So as we begin this Season of Lent, let us make it a heart thing.

Joel 2:13, "Rend your heart and not your garments. return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

PEACE

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:50:01 -0600

Luke 19:37-42, "When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!' 'I tell you,' replied Jesus, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.' As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes.'" Here we are just a few days away from celebrating Christmas, and people are continuing their search for that perfect gift that would complete them. The word for PEACE in the NT means to join, or set as one again. At some point, we have been seperated, we have been broken. People look all over for that thing that will be an end all to their problems, something that will end their internal hostility. God is the one who can heal us. He made himself apart of us, and without him we can never be complete. Without God we can never have PEACE. As I look around at our world during the Christmas Season I hear the words of Jesus, "'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes." Consumerism has blinded the eyes of the people. Lord open our eyes so that we can see the PEACE that you alone can provide.

JOY

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:51:01 -0600

Luke 2:8-12, "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." The third candle of Advent was the Shepherds candle and it represents joy.

What brings joy to your life? In Meditations of a Hermit, Charles de Foucauld wrote, "We should pity the happy people. Pity those whose happiness, even though it be quite legitimate and innocent, keeps them attached to the world. God is good that he has so despoiled us of everything, that we can draw breath only by turning our heads towards him. How great is his mercy, how divine his goodness, for he has torn everything from us in order that we may be more completely his."

My prayer is that we will not become so happy about the things of this world that they keep us attached to the things of this world. Look to God for true happiness and joy.

LOVE

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:06:01 -0600

1John 4:7-12, "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." Love is the true character of God. He is the source of love, and he gave us the perfect example to follow. They say that action speaks louder than words. We say keep CHRIST in Christmas, but is that what our actions say? John says that the world can't see God, but they do see you and me. As we visit the crowded stores, and travel the busy streets does our attitude towards others, reflect a God who loved the world so much that he gave his only Son as an atoning sacrifice for their sins? My prayer this Christmas season, is that he love that God demonstrated for the world would truly be made complete in me.

HOPE

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:13:01 -0600

The season of Advent is a time of waiting. The people of God were waiting for a Messiah to come, and today we wait the return of Jesus Christ. But waiting becomes difficult the longer that you have to wait. People get weary in waiting and fall asleep. Others give up waiting and just leave. The first candle of Advent is the candle of HOPE. I guess it is important for HOPE to be that first candle, because it is HOPE that keeps us waiting. If we had no HOPE, we would either fall asleep or just leave. I believe more today than I ever have, that Christ return is imminant.

Day 38, Acts 10:1-11:18

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:52:01 -0500

Who exactly can be saved? Is there anybody who is excluded, simply because of their nationality? Those questions are answered when Peter visits a Roman centurion. Much like Jonah's commission to go to Ninevah, Peter is told to go and speak to a known enemy of the People of God. Jonah did not want to go, instead he loaded a boat in the city of Joppa and headed for the city of Tarshish. That same city of Joppa would again would become a pivotal location. It is there that God speaks with Peter. Through a vision, God tells Peter, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." When Peter woke up from his vision, God told, "Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs, Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." God had a powerful message for a known enemy, and God had the person for the job. I wonder how many times that we hesitate to share the message of God with people we feel are not worthy to receive this message. Maybe they live on the poor side of town. Maybe they are of a different nationality. Maybe they are a personal or national enemy. Through the story of Peter and Cornelius we see that God is no respector of person. He desires that none should perish but all come to repentance.

Day 29, John 9:1-41

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:17:01 -0500

"A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. 'Give glory to God and tell the truth,' they said. ' We know this man is a sinner.' He replied, 'Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!'" This man is told to give God glory for his healing, yet they denide that the healing could come through the man of Jesus.

I believe in the power of Jesus name to heal the sick and forgive the sinner. Our church has a wonderful testimony of God's great power, just this weekend. God is still in the business of reaching out to a broken world, and he is doing it through the power of Jesus name. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)" "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.(Philippians 2:9-11)"

You see this man does exactly what the Pharisees wanted him too, just not in the way the Pharisees had suggested. He did give glory to God, but not in denying Jesus, but rather is identifying Jesus as the source of his healing. Praise God, the great things He has done.

Day 23; Luke 1:1-80

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:53:01 -0500

I love the story of Mary receiving the news that she was going to have a baby. "How will this be...since I am a virgin?" I think often times we want to see God do amazing things, but we look at our limitation, or look at the situation in the world, and wonder, how can it possibly happen? Gabriel unshaken by Mary's question simply responds, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." In other words, God's going to do it. And God has a history of doing remarkable things, "Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month."

We, community of faith, believe in the saving power of God. We believe if we confess our sins that God is faithful to forgive us of our sins. We even believe that God seperates us from our sins as far as the east is from the west. We stumble at the thought of living a holy life though. We ask, "how can this be since I'm only human?" That is when God smiles and says, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." It is a God thing, and he has a history of doing remarkable things. Just think about these words from Gabriel, "For nothing is impossible with God."

Day 17, Psalms 103:1-22

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:45:01 -0500

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." King David was the author of this Psalm, and he knew what it meant to worship God with everything that he was. David knew what it meant to be forgiven of his sins. He knew first hand the healing power of God. He would identify himself as one redeemed because of God's love and compassion. Even in his old age, King David was the recipient of good things from God's hand.

I wonder if we can make this Psalm our own. Can we relate to the forgiveness of God? Do we have a testimony of God love and compassion? Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we like David can say that we have been redeemed. God truly is good, and He deserves our deepest and strongest praise.

Day 12; Joshua 1:1-18

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:05:01 -0500

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua had the biggest shoes to fill. He was to take the place of Moses, Israel's liberator. Joshua would be the one who would lead them across the Jordan River to take possession of the Promise Land. But nobody knew Moses like Joshua did. Joshua stayed near the tent of meetings. He knew first hand the source of Moses' power. For God to tell Joshua, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." had to be the greatest words of encouragement he had ever heard. If by the power of God, Moses could lead the people through the Red Sea, then Joshua could lead the people through the Jordan River, by the same power. If Moses could defeat the Egyptian Army with God's presence, then there was no army that could stand against him, if God was with him.

The writer of Hebrews reminds the early church of this great promise in Hebrews 13:5, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." What the Hebrew writer did, was include you and me in that promise of God. Just as God was with Joshua, God will also be with us. Those are encouraging words today. No matter what kind of trials we face, the presense of God goes with us.

Day 11, Exodus 19:1-20:21

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:25:01 -0500

It has taken them three months to get to this place, but the people of God have finally come to the Mountain of God. This is where Moses was told by God, "I will be with you. And this will be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." (3:12). It is also here that Moses will pass down to the people the Ten Commandments. These commandments will become the foundation for moral living. It will become the blueprint used my many nations, including the USA, to formulate their own laws. Teachers of the law would later debate over which one of the ten was most imporant. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus would some up these commandments with, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... Love your neighbor as yourself." So why should we follow these commands? Surely God knows what is best for us, so that should be a good enough reason to follow his instructions. But we seem to think sometimes that we have all the right answers, and our way is better. Maybe we should follow these commandments, so that God will bless us, and that someday we can go to heaven. This is a reason that quiet a few people choose. They think that somehow if they obey these commandments, that they have earned there place in God's family. There are probably even people who will choose to obey, because they are afraid that God will destroy or punish them for disobedience. I think this is actually close to the right reason for obeying God's commandments. Exodus 20:20, "Moses said to the people, 'Do no be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." Maybe there is some merit to fear being a reason to obey the Ten Commandments, but I think there is an even more important reason. "And God spoke all these words, 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.'" (20:1-2). I believe that should be reason enough to obediently serve God. He is our Savior. We were lost but now are found. We were blind but now we see. We were dead but are now alive. And for no other reason, we ought to Love him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. It is because he loved us, that we should love our neighbors as our self.

It has taken us a little bit of time to get here, but we are standing on the very mountain of God. The question is have we come to worship him through obedient service?

Day 10, Exodus 13:14-14:31

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:00:01 -0500

This is probably one of the greatest stories in the Bible. God has successfully led his people out of Egypt. There is just one problem, they are trapped. With the Red Sea on one side and the mighty Egyptian Army on the other side, the people of Israel have no place to go. But God is able to not only control the raging waters of the Red Sea, but he could defeat any army that stood in his way. So which way do the people of God go? God chooses to calm the raging waters of the Red Sea, "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided." Wow, only the God of creation could display such control over nature itself. But the Egyptian army did not give up, "The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea." We know that the God of creation can handle the Red Sea, but what about this mighty army from Egypt? "He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, 'Let's get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!." Those are the words that I want my enemies to say :). You know the rest of the story, "Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen - the entire army of Pharoah that had followed the Israelites into the sear. Not one of them survived." Wow, only a God strong in battle could defeat the whole Egyptian army. This is probably one of the greatest stories in the Bible. But is it just a story, or did it really happen the way our Bible says it did? Exodus 14:31, "And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant." Something real happed there that day. Something so real that the people said WOW! They put their trust is the God of creation who is strong in battle. What will it take for us to put our trust in him?

Day 9, Exodus 12:1-42

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:49:01 -0500

"Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come." This was a special night that was to be remembered through all generations. We have all had those special nights. Maybe it was the night that you were married. Or maybe the night one of your children were born. It could have even been a night when your favorite sports team won a championship. Those special nights are usually captured with photography. Sometime we pull out the photo albums and tell all those who will listen the specific details that pictures could not completly capture. Maybe it is from an old newspaper clipping of that night. We share with our buddies where we were and what we were doing.

The night of the Exodus was a night that would definately go down in the history books. I'm sure they would tell their kids what they were doing on that specific night. But if a picture have been taken, maybe it would be a picture of God standing guard. A picture that shows God vigilently looking out for his people. In a chaotic scene of people running all over the place trying to get out of the city, God calmly watches over his people to make sure that not even the smallest lamb is left behind.

That is the kind of God who we serve today. In the midst of our chaotic world, God still keeps vigil over his people. He neither sleeps nor slumbers. But on those special nights, it is usually a picture that is never taken.

The Stewardship of God´s word.

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:46:01 -0500

Isaiah 55:10-11, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." We as Christians have a responsiblity to be good stewards of the word of God. James tells us not to merely listen to the word, but to do what it says. When I see this illustration by Isaiah, I realize that our world is spiritually dry. God desires to send the refreshing waters of his word on a dry and weary land. Our job is to take his word to a lost and dying people. We can not afford to hoard the word of God. It must be shared with everybody we come in contact with.

Everything that we are

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:00:01 -0500

1Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." This becomes an interesting spin on stewardship. It is easy to see that God is Lord over time, therefore we need to be a good steward of how we use the time that He has blessed us with. We are also very aware of the concept of being a faithful steward of the money that God has blessed us with also. When we look at being a good steward of our talents/gifts/abilities, we realize that God is not just the Lord of all that we have, HE IS LORD OF ALL THAT WE ARE. Paul says that we have been bought at a price. In otherwords, God has redeemed us from the empty way of sin. All of our talents/gifts/abilities which were used to gratify our own selfish desires are now to be used to honor God. The question we need to ask ourselves this week, is, "Am I honoring God with everything that I am?"

The best and holiest

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:07:01 -0500

In Numbers 18:29, Moses tells the Levites, "You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you." The Levites did not receive an inheritance. Instead, God was to be their inheritance. The rest of Israel was to bring in a tithe of everything that God had blessed them with. That tithe was in turn given to the Levites as their inheritance. But God did not let the Levites off the hook with paying a tithe. They were to take the best and holiest part of the tithe and give it as a tithe to the Priest. As we continue through our Stewardship month, I want us to evaluate the quality of our gift to God and not just the quantity. Is our gift to God only what is left over after everything else is taken care of? When Jesus sat across the temple treasury. He noticed many rich people putting in a great quantity of money. He also noticed a poor widow woman who gave her very best. It was that offering that Jesus said had the greatest quality. Are we giving God our very best?

Stewardship of Time: The irretrievable Resource

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:14:01 -0500

I want to start Stewarship Month off addressing the issue of Time. Time is the most unique of all resources. Unlike money you can not store-up time. Because you can not store time up, you are required to spend it, whether you want to or not. The question is how are you going to spend the time that you have received? As Christians, the way we spend time ought to be visually different than the way non/pre Christians spend time. The reason is because we spend time on what is important to us.

Questions to think about:

Am I spending enough time sleeping?
Am I spending enough time Exercising?
Am I spending enough time Working?
Am I spending enough time Praying?
Am I spending enough time Reading the Bible?
Am I spending enough time With my family?
Am I spending enough time Relaxing?

You can rephrase the question to ask, "Am I spending too much time ...

Stewarship Month starts with TIME. How are you spending the time that you have been given?

Stewardship Month

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:10:01 -0500

Stewardship

Usually when we think about Stewardship Month, we think of pastor preaching about money. Money is just one of the outward signs of good stewarship. Other outward signs include time and talents. I say that these are only outward signs, because true stewardship begins on the inside. Stewardship is recognizing that God has been generous in giving us money, time and talents. But God has not given us these gifts so that we can horde them. Instead we have a responsiblity to be faithful in our management of these precious gifts. So I would define stewardship as, faithfully responding to God's generosity.

A new Song

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:51:01 -0500

School starts up next week, and all the parents said, "AMEN!" With a new school year comes a lot of new things. Kids will get new clothes and new school supplies. They will meet new people and have new teachers. Some will even go to a new school. New is fresh and exciting, but at the same time takes a little time to ajust. For the most part, I think our world enjoys the new things that come with advancing technologies like phones and computers. People seem to like driving new cars as opposed to old cars. But one thing that we seem to have a hard time tossing out the old and embracing the new is our music. Music seems to be something that we want to sing as opposed to just listen to, and in order to sing we normally have to be familiar with the lyrics. It becomes quit entertaining to hear a song in church that nobody but the song leader knows. Psalm 98:1, "Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has dones marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him." It is a brand new school year, and God has brand new things in store for us, so let us sing to him a new song.

God´s Sanctuary

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:42:01 -0500

Over the last couple of years I noticed the demands that coaches and teachers put on our kids. If my children are playing a sport, the coach expects the kids to be there at a certain time for practice or games. They also expected participation and help from the parents. Now that my oldest son is in Highschool, and playing in the band, I am swamped with all the requirements that are placed on him and myself as well. He was required to come to school three weeks before school starts, just to begin practicing. We have had a couple of required parent meetings as well. These are all required events, and we pay a lot of money to participate in these events.

I began to wonder what would happen, if I as a pastor began to promote church, the way that these coaches and teachers promote these extracuricular activities? Could I tell people that church was a required thing? Could I call at the last minute and expect everybody to show up. Could I just say this is what we want to do as a church, and this is how much everybody is required to pay?

The thing is my kids love to do those extracuricular activities. They even practice when they come home, without the coach/teacher breathing down their neck. I think it would be great if people had that kind of passion and love for church.

Psalm 84:1-2,10, "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."

God´s Secret Weapon

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:06:01 -0500

Psalm 8:2, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." The story is told of a Philistine champion who came out and defied the army of God. This man was larger than life itself and struck fear into the hearts of all who heard his taunts. This went on everyday for forty days. Who would defend the name of God? Who would stand up to this Philistine and prove that God is above all? God did not send His General to handle this situation. God did not pick his biggest most powerful man in uniform to take Goliath out. Instead, God sent out a shepherd boy. His own brothers ridiculed him. The king mocked him by putting his own armor on him. Even the enemy laughed when he saw him. But God knew what he was doing. God was going to silence the foe and ordain praise through a young shepherd boy.

What could possibly silence the devil and his legion of demons. Could it possibly be a baby born in a small town of Bethlehem, placed in a manger and first visited by some shepherds? God has a secret weapon to get the praise that He deserves. It is through the lips of children and infants.

Quiet Your Soul

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:34:01 -0500

David in Psalm 131 said, "I do not concern myself with great matters of things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me." The question I have this week is, How can we quiet our soul? I think that all of us agree that we need to have a quiet time with God on a daily basis. That is hard to do when our lives are surrounded by a noisy society. We have radios, phones, computers, and televisions that are constantly on. If you get up early in the morning you might be able to find a quiet place where all the sounds of the world have disappeared. Maybe during the middle of the day you can go into your office and close the door, blocking out all the noise on the outside. For some they stay of late after world has gone to bed, just them and God. There are a lot of things we can do to get away from the noise of this world, but how can we quiet our soul? Our minds are still thinking about other things. It seems that all the worries of this life are louder than all the phones and radios. The story of Mary and Martha truly is our story. We want so much to be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus, but we are too often like Martha, "worried and upset about many things.." My prayer this week, is that God would help us to quiet our souls.

FORGIVE and FORGET

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:56:01 -0500

Psalm 103:10-12, he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

These three verses are a demonstration of the great love of God that leads him to FORGIVE, and the great power of God that causes him to FORGET. There is no level of comparing the great love that God has for us. The best that David could do is say, For as high as the heavens are above the earth. Paul in Ephesians 3:18-19 said his prayer for the saints were that they would be able, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge... This love can not be measured. It is a love that FORGIVES and does not return evil for evil. It is difficult for us to immitate this kind of love. We use phrases like, He got what he deserved, or He had it coming. If we got what we deserved from God, who would be able to stand?

The love of God to FORGIVE is matched only by his power to FORGET. We have a tendency to carry in our pockets the offenses that others have made against us. We pull them out every so often to remind ourselves of the hurt that we felt. We say things like, trick me once shame on you, trick me twice shame on me. We promise to never allow ourselves to be put into a situation where that person can hurt us again. But sometimes we hold onto these things, because we don't have the power to put them away. It seems like the things we want to remember are the things that we often forget, but the things we wish we could forget are the things that we running through our minds. Yet God has the power to remove our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. This is a wonderful scripture. The very thing that seperates us from God, has not only been FORGIVEN, it have been completely removed.

The Lord of our Nation

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:48:01 -0500

Psalm 44: 1-8 reads, We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long and we will praise your name forever. This year we celebrate our 235th year as a Nation. The motto has always been, In God We Trust. As we continue our journey through the Summer in the Psalms, we are reminded of the great patriotism of the Nation of Israel. They had everything to be proud about. Their enemies had been defeated, and their greatest king (David), was sitting on the throne. Their boast was not in those things. Their boasts was in their God, who made them a Nation by His mercy and grace. On this Independence Day, I encourage you to celebrate by remembering our military men and woman. Celebrate by enjoying the beauty of our Nation. But most importantly, Celebrate by boasting in the God who made us a Nation by his mercy and grace.

Like A Tree

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:11:01 -0500

Today is the Summer Solstice. It is the day when those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere will see the most day light of the year. It also marks the first day of summer. For most of us it feels like summer has already arrived with its triple digit temperatures and kids out of schools. So now that summer is finally here, people will flood the beaches, lakes and local swimming pools just to have fun and try and stay cool. I want to invite you to join us for a Summer journey in the book of Psalms. The Book of Psalms is a refreshing reminder of God's great blessings and mercies that are new every morning.

I want to start off this first day of Summer looking at Psalm 1. We do not know the author of this first Psalm, but it is a great introduction to the whole Book of Psalms. It tells us that we can live our lives following the wrong crowds, or we can trust in God's direction through his Word. Verse 3 tells us that those who choose to follow God's leading and direction, "Are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers."

As we go through this summer, I ask you to join us as we seek God's direction for our lives. Bring your swimming gear, because you're going to want to get wet.

Ashes2Fire Blog

Power and Grace

Matthew 8:1-4

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

Ascension Thursday

Matthew 28:16-20

The Great Commission

high expectations

Ephesians 1:1-10

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Future Generations

Psalm 78:1-7

Psalm 78

A maskil[a] of Asaph.

Knowledge of God´s Will

Colossians 1:9

Way of Life

Matthew 7:13-14

The Narrow and Wide Gates

Enough for today

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry

Treasures

Matthew 6:19-24

Treasures in Heaven

Forgiveness

Matthew 6:7-15

Encourage One Another

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Believers Who Have Died

Be Perfect?

Matthew 5:38-48

Eye for Eye

Love for Enemies

Put your pencils down

Relationships

Matthew 5:21-26

Murder

Presence of God

Exodus 33:14-16

light and salt of the world

Matthew 5:11-16

Salt and Light

Sabbath

Exodus 31:12-18

The Sabbath

A place to meet

Exodus 25:1-22

Exodus 25

Offerings for the Tabernacle

The Ark

New Life

Colossians 2:9-15

The desires of your heart

Psalm 37:4-5

Rules to live by

Exodus 20:1-17

Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

Worthy of the Lord?

Colossians 1:3-14

Thanksgiving and Prayer

Peter´s Challenge

1 Peter 5:8-9

Overcome

John 16:33

The Holy Spirit

John 16:1-15

John 16

God my hero

Psalm 18:1-20

Psalm 18

God is good

1 Peter 2:2-3

Warrior

Exodus 15:1-5

1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

Refining of Faith

1 Peter 1:1-12

1 Peter 1

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

¹ Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: