- JUNE "THOUGHTS"-

Monday - June 22, 2009

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Without a vision for your life, your career, your family, your ministry, and your church, you’re never going to do the things that are necessary to move from where you are to where you could be! A vision (a dream) is what compels you and drives you to go to the next level. A dream is what wakes you up in the morning and makes you want to do whatever you can to get where you want to go. A vision is what gives you the motivation to do things that are uncomfortable in order to move just one step closer. A dream is what gives you the willingness to sacrifice time, energy and resources in order to see that dream become reality.

So what is your dream? Have you taken time to get with God and just dream? Have you taken the time to define the dream for your life? Have you taken the time to define the dream for your ministry? Do you know what God has called you to do? If you have made Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life, then God wants to use you to build His kingdom. He wants to use you in ways that you can’t even imagine! He want to use you to reach the lost people (non-believers) in your sphere of influence and He wants to use you to fulfill a vital ministry work within the context of the local church. When you said “Yes” to Jesus, God accepted you into His family and He recruited you into His army. He wants to reach others through you and allow you to receive the fulfillment and the satisfaction that comes from serving your Heavenly Father and following the direction of His Holy Spirit. God has a plan for you. He has a dream for your life. Do you know what that dream is? Are you working on that dream?

Today, take some time to consider your life and the dreams that you have for your future? The Bible tells us that God has a plan to give us a future and a hope. Take some time to get alone with God and ask for His input. Ask Him for His direction. Ask Him to give you His dream! God’s dream is always bigger than ours because He has no fear and He knows that no wall, no barrier, and no problems will stop you as long as He is working with you. Ask God to reveal His dream for your life and then ask Him for the power, the energy, and the resources to accomplish that dream. Do this and your life will never be the same again!

Friday - June 19, 2009

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Psalm 103:1

So often we spend our daily prayer time focused on what we need. We go from requests to request, problem to problem, need to need, want to want, without giving God an opportunity to get a word in edgewise. We treat Him like sort of genie who is to grant our requests and then get back in His bottle until we need Him again. Can you imagine if we would treat our friends like we treat God? Can you imagine only talking to your friends when you need something, rattling off all your requests and then leaving them before they had a chance to say a thing? We wouldn’t have those friends very long if we treated them that way; however, we often treat our Heavenly Father that way! Our God is supposed to be our primary focus, desire, and love, and we often treat Him worse than we would ever treat our friends and neighbors.

Today, maybe it’s time to change things up a little bit. Maybe it’s time to pray in a different way. Maybe it’s time to reverse the norm. Today, take some time out of your schedule to pray. But when you pray, don’t ask for anything. Don’t come to Him with your needs, but instead, ask Him what He would like from YOU! Give God an opportunity to share His requests with you. It may be as simple as, “God, I love you and I want to bless you today. What can I do for you today?” Feel free to thank Him, worship Him, and praise Him, but focus on Him and Him alone. Take some time to not only TALK, but LISTEN! Quiet yourself. Pause. Allow yourself to be still, and wait. Listen for His still small voice, and be prepared to act on His requests. Today, take some time to bless the Lord!

Thursday - June 18, 2009

“5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! 8My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father. 9“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.” John 15:5-10

Are you abiding in the vine today? Are you attached to the vine through constant communication? Are you firmly bonded via meditation on God and His kingdom? Are you grafted in tightly by way of a constant awareness of the Lord’s presence and a willingness to do as the Spirit leads?

Jesus said that anyone who remains in him and He in them, will produce much fruit. In other words, those who abide in the vine will produce fruit. And then He goes on to say that anyone who is not abiding in the vine can do nothing? Is that true? Is it true that without Christ we can do nothing? Well, we might be able to do some things that seem significant to us, but we certainly cannot do anything of any significance without Him! We can do nothing of any real value without God’s strength, support, love, encouragement, and power. We may be able to do some superficial things, if God allows us to, but we will never do anything that has eternal significance if we aren’t gifted and empowered by the Lord. However, for those that are truly abiding in the vine, the sky is the limit!!!

So are you abiding in the vine today? Consider what activities you have engaged in so far today. Consider where you have spent your time. Think about what has been on your mind and what you have meditated on. Ponder your steps so far today. Are you abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ? If not, what changes do you need to make to abide there? Stay close because blessings, fruitfulness, and answered prayers await those who abide in the vine!!!

Wednesday - June 17, 2009

“I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.”  John 14:27

In John 14:27, Jesus says a couple of things about peace that are quite fascinating!  First, He says that peace of mind is a gift. God's peace is a gift.  It’s not something you work for, or earn, or buy, or learn, or search for, it's a gift from God.  Secondly, we see that God's peace of mind is different from the world's peace of mind! The world teaches us how to have peace, but it’s a very fragile peace. It’s a peace that doesn’t last. Why? Because human peace is based on circumstances. If everything is ok, then we can be at peace. But if everything's in chaos then we cannot be at peace. Worldly peace is also based on our abilities and strength. So since we’re weak and fragile, so is that kind of peace.

The Bible says that God’s peace is an internal thing. It’s not dependent on circumstances. It’s not based on our abilities. It’s not based on the condition of our environment. It doesn’t require an absence of chaos or conflict. It’s NOT conditional! Jesus says, “the peace I give you is not like the world’s peace that is fragile, conditional, and temporary.  It’s permanent, non-dependant, and strong.” Therefore, He tells us not to be troubled or afraid. Have you noticed that life is almost always chaotic? When one problem is solved, another one surfaces. When one trial is over, another one begins. Just when you think your situation can’t get any worse, it does! The fact is, there is almost never a time in our lives that is completely free from trouble, conflict, and stress. So if we are going to have peace of mind, we’re going to have to have Jesus’ peace that is internal - the kind of peace that will hold up even when the world is crumbling down around us.

Do you find yourself often troubled? Do you find yourself living in fear? Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the circumstances of life? Jesus says, “don’t be troubled or afraid!”  But, how do you obtain that peace? How do you obtain that kind of freedom from worry and fear? You simply ask for it, and trust God to give it to you! Over and over again in the word of God, He tells us to trust Him! When a child trusts their parents, they fear nothing. When you trust God, you have nothing to fear. Paul says, worry about nothing, but instead, pray about everything if you want peace. Take some time today to pray for Jesus’ gift of peace. Put your trust in Him, and give your worries, your concerns, your problems, and all that is chaotic in your life to Him! Let Jesus take care of your problems. Adjust your focus from your problems to the Lord. Give Him your obedience and He will guide you through the maze of life, around the obstacles and land mines, and on to victory. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to help you with your daily problems. It is more than sufficient, so let your problems go and grab hold of the peace that passes all understanding!

Tuesday - June 16, 2009

“13For ‘Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 14But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”  Romans 10:13-14

A couple of months ago, the “Thought For The Day” focused on the ministry of outreach for several days. Together, we were all challenged to reach out to those around us. We were challenged to make a list of those in our sphere of influence that needed to be reached. We were urged to step out of our comfort zones, open our mouths, and communicate the truth about Jesus. We were called to yield to the Bible’s command to make outreach our primary focus. Since it’s been a couple of months now, it’s time to do some self-evaluation. It’s time to evaluate our progress. How have you done? Take a moment to consider your personal efforts in expanding the kingdom of God. How has it gone?

Paul reminds us in Romans 10, that ANYONE who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED! There’s no doubt about it. It’s something that you can count on! But then he goes on to ask a couple of questions. He asks, “but how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” Paul is simply asking us all, “How can someone be saved if no-one will share the good news?” Think about it for a moment; If everyone is counting on someone else to do the work of outreach, who is really doing the work? If we are all dropping the ball, who will add to the scoreboard? Billy Graham can’t reach everyone! All the pastors in America combined can’t reach them all!!! That’s why Jesus gave us a plan. He said to his disciples, “You go make disciples, and teach them to make disciples, who will teach their disciples to make disciples and so on, and so on!” And guess what? If you are a follower of Jesus Christ (a Christian) then you are one of those disciples who are to be making disciples!

James teaches us that the Word of God isn’t just for learning, it’s for DOING! He teaches us that when we hear the truth, we should integrate that truth into our lives. He commands us that when we learn of God’s commands, we should act on them (obey them). The command is very clear when it comes to outreach. Jesus said that if we are Christians, we ought to be doing it - a lot! In fact, it should be our primary focus. So how has it been going? Are you happy with the number of people to whom you have shared Christ over the past couple of months? Are you satisfied with the number of people you have invited to church? If so, CONGRATULATIONS and PRAISE GOD! Keep it up. Continue to intensify your efforts. Work on your effectively and continue to expect results. If not, what holding you back? The good news is that you can begin today! You don’t have to feel bad, but you DO want to get moving! Simply ask God’s forgiveness and start today. The key to success is this: Don’t Wait! Get started today. Who can you share Christ with? Who can you reach out to? Who can you invite to church this week? We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, so now is the time. Let’s get out there and make some disciples!

Monday - June 15, 2009

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Do you ever find yourself fearing outreach? Do you ever fear saying the wrong thing to a spiritual seeker? Do you ever feel like you may not have what it takes to be successful and telling someone the good news of Jesus Christ and leading them across the line of salvation? Well, if you have felt this way in the past, here’s some great news that will completely revolutionize your willingness to carry out the great commission. You don’t have to “do” outreach on your own!

Amazingly enough, we sometimes feel like Jesus did His part by dying on the cross (and, of course, rising on the 3rd day!!!), so now the rest must be up to us. This is simply not true. God never commands us to do something and then leaves us hanging. God never gives us an assignment and then leaves us void of the tools to complete the job. When Jesus left this planet (physically, that is!) He sent the Holy Spirit to come on us, to give us the power, the guidance, and yes, even the words to say in order that we could and would be successful outreach ministers! God didn’t leave you hanging! He sent you help! The job of the Holy Spirit is to give you the words to say when you are void of insight or the right words. The job of the Holy Spirit is to give you boldness when you seem to lack it. The job of the Holy Spirit is to lead you to those who are ready to receive what you have to share. The job of the Holy Spirit is to give you power and make you effective!

So what are you waiting for? The only thing that is required of you is to have faith and trust the Holy Spirit to do His job, and then get out there and witness. Who will you start a spiritual conversation with today? Whose life will you sprinkle a little spiritual salt into today? Who will you share Christ with TODAY? God has given you the command and He’s given you the power! The next move is yours!

Friday - June 12, 2009

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 important than food, and the body more important 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? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies 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, O 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.  Matthew 6:25-33

Do you ever find yourself worrying? Do you ever live in fear that you won’t have all that you need to live and be effective at the things you have to do in life? Do you ever find yourself spending more of your thought time on paying bills, making purchases, and getting ahead than you do thinking about growing God’s kingdom and reaching the lost people around you?

Jesus reminds us here that just like a parent takes the responsibility to make sure their children have all that they need, God takes the responsibility for meeting the needs of His children (those that have given their lives to Christ), if we will put Him and His kingdom first and simply relax and trust Him. Can you imagine your child worrying about bills, worrying about where the next meal was coming from, or worrying about other necessities of life? That would be crazy!!! Can you imagine your child refusing your offer to take responsibility for these things, getting stressed out, and trying to take care of their needs all on their own? We would think that to be ridicules! Yet, we do the same exact thing when we worry about our needs and try to take on all of the responsibility in taking care of ourselves. Jesus is not telling us to quit our jobs, sit on our lounge chairs, and wait for money, clothes, and food to fall from the sky, but He IS telling us that if we are doing our normal part, that we can unload the stress, the worry, and the fear on Him. If we will simply trust Him as a child trusts their parents, we can be free of worry and fear, and we can focus on what’s really important -  reaching people with the good news and making disciples!

Are you carrying the lion’s share of the burden when it comes to your needs? What are you worrying about today? Are you living in fear and stress? Today is the day to give that up, stop playing God, and allow God to be your provider! Paul tells us that “God shall supply ALL your needs”. Do you believe that? Do you trust God? Do you have “faith like a child”? Remember, it’s faith that pleases God, and it’s the path to personal peace!

Thursday - June 11, 2009

“(Jesus) My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”   John 10:10

“28 Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” Matthew 11:28-30

It doesn’t take much of an eye for detail to see that there are an awful lot of people throughout this community that are stressed out. Stress in this community, and for the most part, throughout America, has become a way of life for most of us. With fast cars, complex jobs, increased work hours, easy credit, and a plethora of activities for our children (who have to be carted to and fro), it’s pretty easy to get stressed out… and stay stressed out!!! Some stress is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, some stress gives us the kick in the pants we need to get things done; however, constant, chronic stress is not good for us or those around us. Excess or prolonged stress can cause all sorts of health problems (including the general weakening of our immune system), emotional problems, and social problems. For the Christian, the consequences of prolonged stress can be just as impacting as for the non-believer because it can rob us of the abundant, joyful life that God promises us and can hinder our ability to witness to non-believers (Face it, non-believers are looking for something in us that is worth having, and they don’t need more stress!).  So without changing our circumstances or the world around us, how can we get a handle on our personal stress level?

First, Commit to Regular Daily Quiet Time: The first and probably the most crucial step in lowering our stress level is learning to have a consistent time alone every day with God - what we typically call quiet time. Quiet time is a time that we set aside each day to read the Bible, pray, worship, and just hang with God. This time is so important for so many reasons. It gives us an opportunity to share our problems with God, and to get His comfort and His help. It gives us a chance to focus on our relationship with God. During our quiet time, He can give us perspective, focus, strength, encouragement - He can give us love! He uses this time to recharge our battery packs (even Christ sought a time regularly to go off and hang with God and get His battery packs recharged). The result of this time is that we learn to abide in Christ (“[Jesus] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”  John 15:4), and we develop the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control [Galatians 5:22-23]), which will directly affect our level of stress. The more that God develops this fruit in us, the less stressed we will be.

Next, Include God in Your Decision Making Process: Much of our stress comes from poor decisions. We’ll take on one more projects that we don’t have time for, we’ll get a new vehicle that we really can’t afford, or maybe we’ll take a new job or a promotion that just isn’t right for us. Face it, regardless of the specifics, we all make “not so smart” decisions sometimes, and those decisions create undesirable stress. Here’s the good news: God wants the best for us! He knows the best decisions for us to make and He wants to direct our path. All we have to do is ask Him and keep our spiritual eyes and ears open for a response. God’s way is not always the way we want to go, but it is the best way, and the way to lower stress. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows what is best for us. Include Him in every decision you make and He will help you keep your stress under control.

Then, Avoid the Worry Bug: Simply put, worrying is one of the most pointless responses to life situations and causes us so much undue stress. Matthew 6:25-27 kind of sums it up for us: “So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life… Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.” Without a doubt, worrying causes stress and as it is pointed out in Matthew, it doesn’t really do anything for us. In fact, statistically speaking, less than 40 % of what we worry about ever happens anyway and only 8% of our worries are legitimate, in that they are things that we can deal with and change the outcome. In order to put the kibosh on stress produced by worry, we need to learn to turn over our problems, our circumstances, and all sorts of potential negative possibilities to God, and rest in the fact that God is in control.

Finally, Live to Please God: You’ve probably heard the old saying, “you can’t please all the people all the time.” Well, the question we have to ask is “Why try???” No matter what we do or how we do it, there’s no way to please everyone. In fact, sometimes I question whether it’s possible to please anyone, ever (we’ll save that discussion for another time)!!! The point is, if we try to be people pleasers, we are going to get stressed. If we narrow our focus and learn to be God pleasers, not only will we find it less stressful, but our relationship with God will surely go to the next level.

God wants so much more for us than we can imagine and His plans do not include a stressed out existence! He wants to give us a more abundant life - a life of peace, joy, and hope. He wants us to reflect God’s love and mercy, so that others will see and believe. He wants us to be able to rest with His light burden and He wants to carry our heavy burden. All we have to do is let Him. If we can focus on God everyday through our quiet time, learn to include God in our daily decisions, avoid worrying by turning things over to Him, and narrow our focus and become a God pleaser than a people pleaser, we will quickly move to a lower stress level and a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

Wednesday - June 10, 2009

“11 … for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:11-13

Have you experienced the peace and joy that comes from being content with your current situation? Have you learned to be content with any situation? Have you learned how to be content in a world where this kind of thinking is not only difficult, but looked down upon? The world teaches us to think BIG and refuse to accept our situation? The world teaches us that contentment is really settling. This couldn’t be farther from the truth!

Paul was quite a trooper, and he learned how to be joyful and at peace even when he was lacking the essentials of life. Because he learned how to be content, he was not easily distracted from his work or easily discouraged, because he wasn’t weighed down by the baggage that comes with the pursuit of bigger and better. His attitude about the “stuff of earth” was made clear in Galatians 6 when he said “my interest in this world died long ago”. Paul was focused on the Lord and on his God-given mission on this earth, and was content to live a “simple” life, without excess, even to the point where the bare essentials of life were in short supply. So, was Paul “settling” or was he simply focusing on what was important and trusting God for the rest?

Do you have such a focus? Is your primary focus on God and on the growth of His Kingdom or are you weighed down and tied up in the pursuit if earthly wealth, achievements, and status? The world doesn’t make it easy for us with all of the advertisements, commercials, billboards, and other advertising tools, and it certainly doesn’t help when “the Jones” always seem to have something new and interesting; however, if we will learn how to be content, we will experience the peace and the joy that Paul experienced. This peace and joy is more valuable than any worldly possession and will go a long way to move you towards the rich and full life that Jesus died that you might experience. What is weighing you down? What do you feel that you need to be happy? Maybe it’s time to lighten the load and put away those things in exchange for contentment!

Tuesday - June 09, 2009

“1 Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him. 2 Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. 3 Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.” Psalm 33:1-3

“1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.  5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.  6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God.”  Psalm 95:1-7

Have you worshipped the Lord today? Have you taken time to show your love to Him? Have you prioritized your day and let Him know that He is the absolute highest priority? Have you humbled yourself before Him in order to sing Him a song of praise and thanksgiving?  Have you taken some time out of your busy schedule to kneel before the Lord and really worship at His feet?

It’s important that we realize that worship isn’t just some activity reserved for church services or Bible studies (and this is probably a good thing, because there certainly seems to be a lack of actual worship in the church these days!!!). Worship is something that we are called to do on a daily basis. In fact, in the book of Acts, we see that the members of the early church met in the temple daily to worship. Daily worship is so important for our relationship with God, and it’s so important for our attitudes towards Him and our outlook on the world, and the good news is that we don’t have to go to “the temple” in order to worship. We can worship in our prayer closet. We can worship in our cars? We can worship at work? We can worship wherever we are, because God is right there with us!

So have you worshipped the Lord today? Have you set aside your busy schedule and just sat at the Lord’s feet and worshipped Him? If not, what is stopping you? Will you hear “the joyful call to worship”… today?

Monday - June 08, 2009

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”  Matthew 22:37

Take a few moments right now, wherever you are, to consider the implications of this command. What does this mean to you? What is God telling you that He requires? What is He really asking of you?

What does it mean to love someone with ALL of your heart, ALL of your soul, and ALL of your mind? If you love God in this way, how will it affect your life? If you give your love this completely to the Lord, how will it influence the way you spend your time, your money, and your energy? If you love God this passionately, how will this love impact your actions and your reactions to the circumstances of everyday life? How will it impact your decisions? How will it impact your love for others, especially His children? Furthermore, how can you love God with all of your heart? How can you love God with all of your soul? How can you love God with all of your mind?

Finally, consider this all-important question: Are you loving God this way? If not, what will you do today to begin to live out this great commandment?

Friday - June 05, 2009

“The LORD says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’”  Psalm 32:8

Have you taken the time today to ask God how you should spend your day? Have you paused long enough to check in with the Lord of your life to get your marching orders for the next 24 hours? Have you put your plans and desires before God and asked Him what He would like you to accomplish with your day?

We are reminded here in Psalm 32 that God’s plan is always the best plan, and that God always knows the absolute BEST pathway for us to take. God knows the pathway that will lead to the highest productivity, greatest success, and the most fulfillment. Our heavenly father can see around the corners and knows how things will turn out even before we start and He promises to advise us and guide us along “the best pathway” IF we will take the time to ask Him and IF we are willing to go and do as He directs.

Are you doing the right things today? Whether at work, at home, or out and about, are you using your time and energy where it should be used? Take some time right now to stop what you are doing and ask the Lord for direction. Submit your plans to Him, and ask Him to give you guidance on how to live the rest of your day. God says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”  Today, will you take advantage of God’s leadership, wisdom, and guidance? Will you surrender your will to His, and allow Him to guide you away from the good to the best? Will you allow God to be the God of your life?

Wednesday - June 03, 2009

“8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.”  Galatians 6:8-9

Take a moment to reflect on these two verses. What are we being told here?  The obvious thing, is that if we live to satisfy our own desires, we will not receive eternal life, but if we live to please God’s Holy Spirit, we will receive eternal life. Though not as obvious, Paul is not talking to non-believers only, he is also addressing those who already have a relationship with God. Is it possible to be “saved” but live your life serving your own sinful desires? It appears that Paul is reminding us, that if we focus on ourselves, if we focus on satisfying our sinful desires, if we spend our lives seeking out pleasure and things that please us, we will bear no “spiritual fruit”. We will have no impact on anyone, and those in our sphere of influence will potentially die separated from God. This will be the case first because we will have no “saltiness” in our lives (we are living like the rest of the world) and second because if we are spending our time pleasing ourselves, we will have no time to focus on reaching others with the saving message of Jesus Christ.

Paul is also trying to encourage us in this passage. He tells us that if we will live to please the Spirit of God, we will grow the Kingdom of God and will not only receive eternal life for ourselves, but will take others with us. This is true because when we live to please God, we grow very “salty” (we make the world thirsty for God) because of the changes that God makes in us such as giving us great peace, joy, love, patience, etc., and because when God leads us, He leads us to spend our time doing good and witnessing to our friends, relatives, and neighbors. Paul encourages us to not get discouraged or give up when it comes to serving God, doing good, ministering, or sharing Christ with others, and reminds us that if we “keep on keeping on”, we will reap a “harvest of blessing” at the “appropriate” time. When is the “appropriate” time? Only God knows, but if we give up, we will never find out!

Who are you living for today? Can you look at your life and honestly say, “I’m living for God” or are you living for yourself? What are you spending time doing today? Have you prayed and followed the leadership of the Spirit of God or are you just doing what you feel needs to be done? Are you doing the things today that will ultimately lead to the “harvest of blessing”?

Tuesday - June 02, 2009

“16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.  18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,  20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,  21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  Galatians 5:16-21

“13So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”   1 Peter 5:13-16

In today’s Christian church, with the increased awareness of seeker-sensitivity and the world’s attitude about right and wrong what it is, there’s not a whole lot of talk about holiness or sin anymore. A couple of weeks ago, I was hanging out with another local Pastor who was telling me how frustrated he was that several families in the recent past had left the church and the accountability of their fellow church-mates because of their involvement in sinful practices and lifestyles. One church member was in so deep that he is looking at life imprisonment. Two families were being torn apart because of sexual sin and marital unfaithfulness. Others were involved in drug use, pornography, alcoholism, and other various sins. The frustrating thing is not that people still sin, but that churched people, who claim to be followers of Christ, are still involved in these things.

It is important for us to start to see sin in the same way that God sees sin. Sin is ugly to Him! Sin is revolting and shameful to Him! Sin is the very thing that hurts His children, ruins their lives, and pulls them away from a loving relationship with their Heavenly Father! That’s the way God sees sin, and that’s the way we need to begin to see sin. The fact is, whether we like it or not, God created this world, and when He created it, He set up certain physical laws and certain spiritual laws to guide us. When we reject the physical laws, such as the law of gravity, we end up getting hurt (such as trying to jump out of a plane without a parachute). When we reject the spiritual laws, we also hurt ourselves, most of the time in greater ways than we are even aware of at the time. The Bible says that when we reject these principles, we reject God! The truth is, SIN HURTS PEOPLE. It may seem fun at the time and it may even seem completely “safe”, but if it’s sin, it will cause damage to you, to others, and to your relationship with God.

What sin have you allowed into your life? What sins are you justifying? What have you been telling yourself is no big deal, but is eroding your relationship with God? Have you made Jesus your Lord? Are you saved? Jesus demands obedience to the Father, and if we are willfully and repeatedly saying “NO!” to Him, then we have to question whether or not we have TRULY made Jesus our Lord and whether we are TRULY headed for Heaven when we die. Jesus doesn’t demand perfection, but He does demand obedience, and He places the Spirit of God inside of us to help us stay on track. If we have TRULY made Jesus our Lord, then our call is to pursue holiness with all that is in us. We are to not just walk, but run away from all forms of sin. We are to see it the way that He sees it.

So again, what sin have you allowed into your life? The good news is that if we will repent, confess our sins, and ask forgiveness, God is faithful and just to forgive us of EVERY SIN! There is NO SIN that is too big for God to forgive. We can be free of guilt and we can begin a new life today. Will you repent? Will you ask forgives? Let’s begin to see sin as God sees it and pursue holiness with a renewed sense of urgency. The rewards are truly out of this world!

Monday - June 01, 2009

“We put no confidence in human effort. Instead, we boast about what Christ Jesus has done for us.”  Philippians 3:3

“Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.”  Ephesians 3:20

There are times in all of our lives when our best efforts just aren’t good enough. There are times when our resources, our energy, our knowledge, and our skills fall short of the requirement. There are times when, no matter how hard we try, we just can’t achieve the results we are seeking after. During these times we have a couple of choices. We can either let the frustration get to us and give up OR we can step out in faith and trust God to do what we cannot do! Far too often, Christians give up on their God-given missions because they can’t seem to get the job done on their own effort. The problem is that God doesn’t want us to do everything on our own efforts. He wants to do “God-Sized” things through us. He wants to tackle “God-Sized” problems. He wants to show “God-sized” results, so that the world might see Him in action and that He might get the glory!

What is it that you can’t seem to get done on your own steam? What dream has God given you that you just don’t think you can accomplish? What goal are you procrastinating on, because you don’t think it’s possible? God says “I can help you!”, “I can do what you can’t!”, “I can work through you in ways that you can’t even imagine!”, “I can get it done if you’ll trust me!” Paul says, “I put no confidence in human effort”. Are you putting too much confidence in your efforts, and underestimating God’s power to work in and through you? Maybe it’s time to humble yourself and put your trust and confidence in God. Maybe it’s time to stretch your mind and see the possibilities of what God can really accomplish through you if you are willing to be used! Maybe it’s time to step out in faith and allow God to shine!!!

God wants to do SO MUCH through YOU! Will you let Him do it? Will you believe? It’s up to you!