* Guilty of Arson

In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

James 3:5-6 NLT

Recently, I heard a sermon about judging others. I thought I'd been doing pretty well about not judging people; that is until I heard the sermon in its entirety. I was going along just fine with it, doing a mental checklist - Check - no longer do that, Check - no longer do that, Check - no longer do that... then he asked. So you think you're doing pretty well - not judging people? How about when you're at work and you no sooner hang up the phone and you say, 'Idiot.' You just passed judgment on that person...   

As much as I'd like to try to justify that particular action by claiming that I am just stating fact. However, Ephesians 4:29 instructs me, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Proclaiming idiocy over someone is definitely NOT ministering grace... And even though I wasn't actively pursuing the act of pronouncing judgment, that's exactly what I've been doing.

Yes, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is interesting to note that in common law, arson is defined as the malicious burning of the dwelling of another. For purposes of common law arson, malicious is defined as action creating a GREAT RISK of a burning. It is not required that the defendant acted intentionally or willfully for the purpose of burning a dwelling.  [emphasis mine]  Creating the risk is enough to be charged with the crime (sin). 

So, here I am, yet again, walking out James 5:16, Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for Your Word that always leads us back to You and redemption. Restore a right spirit within us, O Lord. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Uncomfortably Complacent

I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.  Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Revelation 2:2-4 NKJV

According to Scripture, God has loved us since before the foundations of the Earth. I have not loved Him that long. I loved Him when I was a child, but when I got old enough to think I could make my own decisions, I chose (at that time) to walk after the ways of the world. For over a decade, I was on a one-way street with no speed limits, heading straight for hell. "Do not pass Go. Do not collect two-hundred dollars."

It was when I was at my personal worst that God stepped into my path and offered me a way out...my Prince had come to save me and I couldn't get enough of Him! I was at church every time the doors were open and sometimes, even when they weren't. I just wanted to be there. I took notes every service and studied them and studied them and studied them some more because I wanted to know all I could about this God of the universe, Creator of Heaven and Earth, who loved ME enough to die for me - to pay the price for MY sins - to spare me the punishment for the evil choices I made.

That was a long time ago. Lately, it's almost been like some of the old married couples you've seen. They're comfortable in their relationship, but they're not "crazy in love" like they were when they were kids. She no longer hangs on his every word. He's not her "first love" anymore. Nowadays, he gets put on the back burner if one of the grandchildren or one of the ladies in her group needs something. She takes for granted that he's always going to be there.

There is a huge difference between comfortable and complacent. I've grown comfortable in my relationship with the Lord. I actually believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that He loves me - and that's good - but the truth is in the last few months, I had grown complacent in my relationship with Him. Oh, I wasn't out running around or getting drunk or doing stuff like that - but neither was I running to be with Him or drinking from the water of Life or listening for His voice. And I could feel the nudges... You don't spend time with Me. Come talk to Me. Don't push Me away. Don't ignore Me. I tried to make myself believe it was all okay because I wasn't running around or doing all those other things and I was at church and paid my tithes, and gave offerings, etc... but I forgot one VERY important thing.

This relationship has NEVER been about what I'VE done for Him.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for loving me more than enough to confront me and make me uncomfortable in my complacency. Forgive me, Lover of my soul, for putting anything alive or electronic ahead of You in my life. It is ONLY in You that I live and move and have my being. Let my only comfort be in You. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

Notification for Change of Address +

Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live.

John 14:1-3 The Message

The American Dream. Own a home you can call your own...well, you and the bank... Then go to the post office and file the Change of Address form.

Although there are questions to ask yourself before the purchase. Do you know the answers to these questions?

1. Can you trust the land developer?

Answer: Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 or Deuteronomy 11:12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

2. Is it built on solid ground or will there be a sink hole?

Answer: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

3. Do you know who built it?

Answer: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:10  or Ephesians 2:20-21, ...having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

4. Who's going to be the caretaker?

Answer: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1st Peter 5:7

5. Who is going to manage the upkeep and supply what you need?

Answer: And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:19

6. Once you're in, what if something breaks?

Answer: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

7. Do you have insurance?

Answer: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

8. Do you have a security system?

Answers:  No weapon formed against you shall prosper...

9. How long will I live there?

I do not plan to have my permanent residence where moth and rust corrupt and destroy what I have. I look to Jesus - the Author and Finisher of our faith.

I'm just letting you know, when Jesus comes to take me, I'm going. This is your official notification for change of address. Do you need to file one, too?

Prayer:

Father,

        We know the Day is soon approaching and we can hardly wait! Open the eyes and hearts of those who have yet to receive You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* A Letter

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2nd Corinthians 3:5-6 NKJV

I have a hard time reading contracts. All the legalese drives me to distraction. To me, it's a perfect illustration of our text for today regarding the letter kills. I'm sure glad I don't do it on a full-time basis. I'm not saying contracts aren't important - they are for many reasons - but sometimes contracts or more precisely, contract disputes kill a "guaranteed" project. The client has the work they need done, and you are qualified and trained to do that work, and they want you to do the work, and you want to do their work. Sounds like a perfect solution, right? Unless you can't agree on the contract terms - all the what-ifs and contingencies, etc.

The legal eagles on both sides will argue the letter of the law, the literal letter - an S or not an S - sometimes to the death. But once in a while, there's a champion who can come in and breathe life back into the contract, based on the compatibility of needs with the ability to meet those needs - the spirit of it, if you will - and the champion convinces the two parts to drop the letter of the law (or at least provide a little grace for it.)

What's in one letter that would make that much difference? Well, I'll show you just a few sample pairings.

Change - Chance;   Aspiring - Aspirin:   Wise - Vise;  

And if you leave a letter out, it can be devastating.

Life - Lie;

And satan is banking on it; his lies are subtle. he knows the Word well enough to mess with it. Do you know it well enough to counter his lies with the life that's in the Word? Here, take a letter.

Prayer:

Father,
          Teach us to walk in Your Spirit so that we don't fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Help us to know when to fight to the death of something and when to pray for life to be breathed back in it. But Father, may it always be Your breath that brings it to life, and not our own. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Mutual Trust

I couldn't be more sure of my ground—the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end.

2nd Timothy 1:12b The Message

If you have been following Christ for more than 6 months, more than likely you have heard someone refer to or quote Jeremiah 29:11 numerous times. It's one of those Scriptures everybody likes to quote. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord... What a great Scripture! We love to confess it and hang on to it. It gives us great hope. Fills us full of victorious thoughts. God continues...They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Oh, we LOVE that one, don't we? God's gonna get us out of whatever it is that has forestalled or come against us.

But do we know the story behind it? Do we have any idea why God is saying that to them? Let me give you the summary. Israel was taken captive and they wanted to be free. God told them to settle in, build houses, plant gardens, be fruitful and multiply. He told them to pray and WORK for the peace and prosperity of their captive city. Then basically told them they'd be there 70 years... THEN He said, I know the plans I have for you...

Would you believe God had a plan if He told you that you'd be in your particular trial 70 years? Wow! We don't even want to hear it if we have to wait 7 hours or 7 days, let alone 70 years. I'm not saying God's going to leave you in the middle of whatever-it-is for 70 years. I'm just saying, God DOES have a plan, even when we don't know it. And He is trustworthy. How much will you trust Him? With your life?

Prayer:

Father,

          You are everything we need for our everyday life and for all Eternity. Open up that Truth and make it come alive to us, Father. Let our true security be in You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Perfect Everything Tool +

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV

Every worker needs tools of some sort to perform the tasks for his or her job, and hopefully, he or she also has the knowledge to utilize the tools of the trade. For instance, a gem cutter who crafts and creates needs a lot of different tools to do his work. He also needs a comprehensive guide for knowledge about all facets of his work. 

Some of the knowledge a gem cutter needs to possess is about Cabochon Cutting, Facet Cutting, and Special Lapidary Technique. Doesn't sound like too much, does it? However, topics that a gem cutter needs to know about Cabochon Cutting include such things as Sawing, Diamond Saw Blades, Sawing Coolants, Sawing Large Specimens, Grinding Operation, Grinding Wheel Hints, Side Wheel Grinding, Grinding Wheel Bondings, Sanding Operation, Discs and Drums, Belt Sanders, Dopping the Gems, Polishing the Gem, Slow Speed Polishing, Theory of Polishing, Polishing Methods, Cabochon Bezel Angles, and Micron Sizes. That's just concerning Cabochon Cutting - it does not include Facet Cutting's Diamond Laps or Brilliant Cut Gems and the development of the brilliant cut, or the Rose Cut, or Quartz and Beryl Angles. My head is spinning and I haven't even mentioned any particulars concerning Lapidary Techniques. There is SO much that goes into cutting stones to create precious gems, I couldn't begin to do justice in providing a comprehensive list of tools or the knowledge required.

I am sure there must be times when gem cutters wish they had the perfect everything tool - similar to a Scout knife - you know, knife, screwdriver, can opener, scissors, corkscrew, etc. Especially in this day and age where everything we use in life is bigger and better and should be convenient. As a society, we crave convenience. Whatever it is, it has to be faster, super-powered, and ready at a moment's notice. 

However, no matter how or what you slice and dice, if you don't have instruction to operate the tool, it won't matter how many gadgets you've got. By the same token, if you have a lot of instruction, but no hands-on time with the tool to implement what you've learned, that won't work, either. 

Keep in mind, you don't have to have EVERY piece of equipment in your hand to get started. And you don't have to know everything before you begin to put into practice what you are learning. God knows it all but remember, He started us off with two tablets, then came tools and material... a hammer, two boards, a few spikes...

And as a result, the truly perfect everything tool was forged. An instruction manual that doubles as a weapon against the most evil of enemies  - A sword for all seasons. It is the original comprehensive help guide for FAQs. It has the answer for EVERYTHING. It's user-friendly, never crashes, and it never goes offline...  although it does make provision for user re-starts, when necessary. The Bible. The Word of God. The Word of Truth - for the worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Prayer:

Father,

         Hebrews 4:12 tell us the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Father, wash us with the water of Your Word so that we may be clean before You and be able to share the answers with those who have questions. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Power of One +

Ephesians 4:1-6 Paul speaking...

New Living Translation

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

New International Version

 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

New King James Version

 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The Message Bible

 In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

Okay, so this Promise is a little different. I don't normally put 4 versions of the same text, but I believe this bears repeating. Paul is speaking to Christian believers in Ephesus. He is not talking to the unchurched or non-believers. He is talking to the Body of Christ - those who have asked Jesus into their hearts to change their lives. 

Do we get it?

One body
One Spirit
One hope
One Lord
One faith
One baptism
One God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

Let's face it - the ONLY way we could all come together is through the Power of One.

Prayer:

Father,
            Let us embrace Your call to be patient with each other, to make every effort to keep ourselves united in Your Spirit and to bind ourselves together with Your peace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

* Rest Area

Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

1st Timothy 1:14-16 NLT

Have you ever been on a long road trip and so determined to get to where you are going that you didn't want to stop for a break? You know the trip is long, and it will be hard, and you've counted the cost, and know that you're gonna have to fight your way through to the end. You might pass every rest area in 3 different states before you decide that it's okay to stop for a quick moment. And then after you take the break, you feel so much better and wonder why you didn't stop before...

So often in our walk of faith, we're just like that. We're on this eternal trip - trying to make Heaven. And we become so focused on trying not to sin so we can get there that we wind up being hypnotized by the road. And after a while, the trip is so long and so hard that we dare not, care not to look where we're going or where we've been. We become so consumed with where we are and how to put one foot in front of the other, and yet we still want to minister to others about Christ and who and what He is and who and what they can be IN Him, and we forget this one incredible, awe-inspiring, all-consuming Truth - that God the Father sent His only begotten Son to pay the ransom for our sins.

He paid the price IN FULL and bought us back - lock, stock and barrel. There's nothing left owing. No one can come and repossess us for lack of payment or unfulfilled promise of payment or even for back taxes. We have been bought with a great price. Inflation, recession, market crashes, poor decisions by us or by those who we have no control over - nothing can affect or change that Truth. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...and He did exactly what He came to do.

Selah...

I don't know about you, but sometimes I think we just need to stop. Stop asking, stop begging, stop whining. Just stop. Stop long enough to reflect on the magnitude of what has ALREADY been done for us...and praise Him for it. Take a 10-minute break with me and just praise Him for what He's already done. This is a rest area...

Prayer:

Father,

         We come to You with praise and thanksgiving for all that You've already done for us. Your Son's life for ours is beyond our comprehension of love, but teach us to walk in it fully and to express it unconditionally toward those You have placed in our lives. Give us the opportunity to share Your Good News. Make the music of the salvation You purchased for us come alive in our hearts and souls. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen