Reminder - Worth It

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8 KJV

It's been said that anything worth having is worth fighting for. There are several different connotations to that, but the one I'd like to focus on is the one that relates to making the extra effort to obtain and keep something of value.

Did you ever notice how easy it is to be grumpy? It takes hardly any effort at all. For some, all they have to do is open their eyes in the morning and poof! Without even trying, they're grump rumps. And have you ever noticed how contagious that can be?!? Father, have mercy on us!

Recently, I was talking with someone at work and trying to get her to see the positive side of a challenge. Her response was that she was positive that it was bad and nothing good would come of it. The sad thing is - with that attitude - she's right. Nothing good will come of it, because her outlook won't allow it.

I'm not talking about living in "la-la land" or being a Pollyanna. I'm talking about focusing on the goodness of God in the midst of the ugly. Life's circumstances change on a daily basis - God is eternal. His faithfulness doesn't change because the world does or people do. His pure, unselfish, never-ending love doesn't end - even in a world that for the most part doesn't want it, let alone understand it.

Whatever we focus on becomes larger, no matter what it is. Look for the good in those around you. If what they're doing is annoying and we focus on it, we're tempted to squeeze and squeeze until their little eyeballs pop right outta their head. If we focus on the wonderful, it almost threatens to overwhelm us with the "wonderfulness" of whatever it is. If you don't believe me, pay attention to yourself the next day or so. Or listen to those around you.

Let old hurts die. Let the past go. Forgive. Quit piling up offenses by holding on. It's not Scriptural.

And "finally, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on THESE things."

It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it.

Prayer:

Father,
           Shine Your light on our words and expose any malingering malady of grumbling. Let our focus be on You and Your Words of Light and Life, and help us walk accordingly. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Have You Ever

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:14-15 NLT

Have you ever made a mistake?

Have you ever said something you wish you hadn't?

Have you ever been mean on purpose?

Have you ever lied?

Have you ever hurt someone - intentionally or not?

Have you ever taken something that wasn't yours?

Have you ever cheated on a test or your taxes?

Have you ever not given your tithes?

Have you ever withheld something when you could have given it? 

Have you ever sinned?

At some point, we've all done at least one because the Bible tells us in Romans 3 that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Do we want to be forgiven? Yes, without a doubt, we do! 

Can we be forgiven? Well, forgiveness is available to us IF we have forgiven others. Are we holding a grudge? Are we still mad about __________? Our Promise for Today is very forthright - It's Jesus speaking - If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Prayer:

Our Father,
                 Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

We Must

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT

We know that the greatest love story ever told is that of Jesus giving His life so that we can be forgiven. As they crucified Him - from the Cross, He cried out, "Father, forgive them..." Luke 23:34 NLT

And lest you think He could do that because He somehow had special powers (even though the Bible is clear that He came to Earth fully human), in Acts 7:59-60 The Message, Stephen did the same thing as he was being stoned for speaking Truth. Read it, As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died.

By now, we should fully realize that Christianity is not about becoming a better version of ourselves, it's about becoming like Christ. Apart from Christ, there is nothing of our own making that would want to forgive those who have wronged us, hurt us, told lies about us, betrayed us... Yet, in our relationship with Christ, we must... 

Forgiving is not a suggestion. It's not just one of several options we can choose. In Matthew 6:14-15 NLT, Jesus tells us plainly.  If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. We must forgive.

Prayer:

Father,

          We humble ourselves before You, asking You to help us break down the walls of unforgiveness in our lives. We choose THIS day to forgive those who have trespassed against us, just as You have forgiven us. We bless them and release them from any charges of wrongdoing. Help us, O God, to love as Jesus loves. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Favorites - FULLY Occupy

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
1st Peter 4:12-13 NLT

Verse 12 in The Message Bible reads, Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job.

Why is that the first thing we do? 

God doesn't care. 

He's not watching out for me. 

He could stop this if He's really God. 

If I may be so bold, I am reminded of Joseph’s life story. None of it seemed fair. None of it seemed right. Surrounded and afflicted by drama and deceit. Had God forsaken him? Left him in prison to rot? No. But he WAS in prison for years!

As hard as it is for us to see and understand with our finite mind, God DOES have a plan. And He promises that it is for our good. We just don’t always understand. When you have prayed – begged God - and God has not released you from where you are, then you must trust Him and FULLY occupy the place where God has you until He says, ‘Go!’

FULLY occupy is the operative phrase. Re-engage your heart and the passion God gave you to help others. Don’t just show up for work every day. Check your heart. Make sure you have not allowed it to harden in those areas that have experienced hurt and betrayal.

Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.

In doing so, you (and those who have sinned against you) can be healed and set free and then God can FULLY occupy your heart.

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Forgive us for our false indictments. Open our eyes and our hearts to see Your Truth in the middle of the trials. Work in us the Christ-like character You desire to see in us. We want to know You in Your fullness. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Full Circle

A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah.
Acts 8:1-5 NLT

Jesus' last words to His followers instructed them to go be His witnesses... but none of them had yet left Jerusalem. Philip was among the first of the scattered believers who were driven out by fear of Saul (later Paul) who was zealous in his persecution, following the stoning of Stephen. We mentioned Philip yesterday regarding his ministry to the Samaritans. Philip's travels and adventures eventually led him back to Caesarea. 

Meanwhile, Saul had met Jesus on the Damascus Road and his world was turned upside down. This is the same man who looked on in approval as he held the cloaks for those who stoned Stephen, Philip's friend. Only an encounter with Christ could take mayhem and murder from a man's heart and change it so completely that 13 chapters later (20+ years), this same Paul stayed at Philip's home as a welcome guest. A trusted brother in the Lord. They had come Full Circle. 

Could we do the same? Forgive and love someone who had helped to murder our friend and persecuted countless others? Could we make that circle? Never without Christ, that's for sure...

Prayer:

Father,

          We know we must walk in forgiveness in order to be forgiven. Help us to know and understand that You love ALL of us, but will only forgive those who call upon Your Name and are willing to forgive others. Help us to come full circle, Father. We want to be right with You and with each other. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

RePost - Fully Occupy

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
1st Peter 4:12-13 NLT

Verse 12 in The Message Bible reads, Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job.

Why is it that's the first thing we do? God doesn't care. He's not watching out for me. He could stop this if He's really God. If I may be so bold… I am reminded of Joseph’s life story. None of it seemed fair. None of it seemed right. Surrounded and afflicted by drama and deceit. Had God forsaken him? Left him in prison to rot? No. But he WAS in prison for years! 

As hard as it is for us to see and understand with our finite mind, God DOES have a plan. And He promises that it is for our good. We just don’t always understand. When you have prayed – begged God - and God has not released you from where you are, then you must trust Him and FULLY occupy the place where God has you until He says, ‘Go!’ 

FULLY occupy is the operative phrase. Re-engage your heart and the passion God gave you to help others. Don’t just show up for work every day. Check your heart. Make sure you have not allowed it to harden in those areas that have experienced hurt and betrayal. 

Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. 

In doing so, you (and those who have sinned against you) can be healed and set free and then God can FULLY occupy your heart.

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Forgive us for our false indictments. Open our eyes and our hearts to see Your Truth in the middle of the trials. Work in us the Christ-like character You desire to see in us.  Help us to know You in Your fullness. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Let Me Be the Judge of That

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. 
Luke 6:37-38a NLT

So often, we want to be the judge of what we want and or need from life. We want to make our own decisions about those things that concern us. Well, what DO we want out of life? Peace. To love and be loved. Make a decent living. Have people like us and not be judged by them. Maybe not necessarily in that order.

What do we need out of life? Security, Love, Forgiveness... Also, maybe not necessarily in that order.

Want and need are actually two very different criteria; yet, if we follow God's instruction, we find both. If we don't judge, we won't be judged. (Love) If we forgive, we will be forgiven. (Forgiveness) If we give, we will receive. (Security) It's rather straightforward. It really is as simple as our Promise for Today lays it out for us. Judge for yourself.

Prayer:

Father,
         Open our eyes of understanding and soften our hearts to receive Your Word. Give us wisdom, O God. Help us to know and understand Your will for us. We want to live as You would have us to live, holy and acceptable unto You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Right or Righteous +

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.
Romans 12:9-12 The Message

 Practice playing second fiddle? Okay, confession time. As a somewhat normal human being, that is not something that comes easily to me. This was driven home to me a few years back when I realized that I'd been angry for most of the week…at the same person. I'd think I was over it and then he would come back a little later and do the same thing or something in the same vein, and I'd be angry all over again.  I didn't hit him. I didn't swear. I didn't throw anything. I didn't yell or scream.

In fact, at one point I was patting myself on the back, thinking, 'What a good girl am I' because I didn't hit him and I didn't cuss. I didn't throw anything. I didn't yell or scream. 

Pitiful… Pathetic... PA – THET – IC!  'Ick' being the operative sound there. I thought that I was being angry and not sinning…after all, I was right and I knew I was right.  Self-righteous, filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6, But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags… 

Do I want to be right or do I want to be in right-standing with God? Our text for today reads a little differently in the King James. Verse 10 reads, Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another... There was no way my actions could even remotely be misconstrued as preferring one another in honor...

James 3:17-18 reads ...the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

So, I had to ask myself - Right or Righteousness? And as my heart is convicted within me...

Father,
          Forgive me, O God, according to Your Word in 1st John 1:9, that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The only thing I have to be right about is being right with You. Help me, Father. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen