Promise for Today - Kingdom Living

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10 NKJV

Right from here, let me assure you this is NOT a political statement. However, to properly reveal how I have been corrected, I have to provide a little American history background.

'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' This sentence - from the Declaration of Independence - is one of the best-known sentences in the English language and has been called "the most potent and consequential words in American history," according to a book titled "American Creation". The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing grievances against the crown, asserting certain so-called “natural rights,” including the right of revolution.

People who are born and raised in the U.S. usually have a different view than most everyone else about the world and the way they think it should be. Unless one has traveled or lived outside of the continental United States, the prevailing mindset is we have our rights - certain 'unalienable Rights' – and that’s all there is to it. (And if you are blessed and highly favored of God enough so that you get to live in Texas – well, I’d say that statement alone is proof that there is a certain – shall we say – convinced attitude – of what rights are natural and unalienable…) And as Americans (whether Texan or not), if anything goes against our grain or “violates” our rights, we’re going to do something about it. (And right up to this point, I’m amen-ing and nodding approval and in 100% agreement with myself…)

However, a few years back, my very Texan, very American pastor poked a great gaping hole in my Texas/American attitude and made me look at myself in the Light of Truth. What am I FIRST– a Lover of Texas? An American? Or a Christian? Where do I pledge my allegiance and faith? By what rules do I live? Where is my heart?!?

Well, I’m a Christian Texas-loving American… However, the Word reads, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." As Christians, we’re no longer in a democracy; we’re in a kingdom. God’s kingdom. He rules… with HIS rules.

Prayer:

Father,
         Forgive me for every time I try to bend the rules to accommodate myself – to try to justify my own wants and my own desires. I want to follow You. I want to live the way You want me to live. Help me, Father. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

Promise for Today Favorite - Standard Procedure

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.
Colossians 3:13a NLT

In Texas, someone who consistently offends or irritates you is commonly known as someone who 'plucks your last nerve.' Have you ever known someone like that? I'm not talking about the occasional pluck. I'm talking about the ones who repeatedly pluck your last nerve. Every time you see them, you know they are going to pluck you like a chicken. In fact, so much so that you get to the point you only have to see them and you can feel it rising up in you... It's as though their only purpose in life is to irritate the living fire out of you. It's their standard procedure.

The Truth is, that very well may be their only purpose in your life. They are a gift from God to help you in your quest to be like Jesus.

How do we learn to be like Jesus? How do we learn to live as He lived? How do we love like He loves - by loving our best friends? That's not difficult to do. What about the proverbial nerve plucker? Do we love them? With them, we certainly have ample opportunity to "make allowances for each other's faults." 

Jesus set the standard procedure for dealing with these kinds of people. He dealt with them. Yes, sir, He sure did! A few swift blows and He was nailed to the Cross, where He cried out in their behalf, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!" The second part of verse 13 in our text reads, Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Now that's the right standard procedure.

Prayer:

Father,
          Let us rise to Your standards. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Mere Gold

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

1st Peter 1:6-7 NLT

One thing about Texas with its hundreds of thousands of miles of roads, there is always road work going on. It's annoying. It slows us down. There are detours and dead stops. Sometimes, it's just plain scary! Do you think there is road work in Heaven? Nah... the streets are made of pure gold - gold that's been through the fire and purified. Do you realize one of Earth's most precious metals is just pavement in Heaven?

Think about that for a moment. 

If we traded all our stuff for its equivalent in gold would we be able to even lay a block of sidewalk, let alone a stretch of highway? Just FYI, a standard block of sidewalk measures 2 feet by 2 feet and is 4 inches thick. It weighs about 200 pounds. As of this date, the current rate for gold in the US is $1,890 dollars per ounce. Multiply that by 16 ounces to the pound and it's equal to $30,240 dollars. Multiply that by the 200 lbs and we find that the monetary worth of a standard block of sidewalk in gold is six MILLION, forty-eight thousand dollars ($6,048,000). And Peter tells us that our faith is far more precious than mere gold...

Is your faith being tried and tested? Don't give up! 1st Peter 1:9 tells us, The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls. PRICELESS!

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for placing such a high value on our lives and for providing the Way to pay for our salvation. Help us to hold tightly to our faith and to recognize its worth - the salvation of our souls. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen

Mourning the Loss

...mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15b NIV

Another horrific killing spree at a high school. This time, only a half-hour away from where we live. Unbelievable. Shock. Grief. I don't believe I know any of the souls who died, but it feels like they were my neighbors. And according to Christ, they are. Luke 10 explains that anyone in need is our neighbor.

So what do we do? I don't know yet what their physical needs are, but spiritually, we're looking for answers, too. The reality is secondary trauma often occurs in these kinds of tragedies. It is important to find ways to deal with our own grief as well as pray for the families that have been directly affected.

I went to Billy Graham's website, because I know they have a Rapid Response Team ministry. According to that site, there are 5 ways in which we can respond: Click here for the article of helps. BillyGraham.org

When we can't do practical application of hands-on assistance, perhaps we might consider a donation to a ministry that we know has integrity and a good reputation for assisting in times of crises.

Above all - Scripture instructs us Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23. 

Don't neglect your relationship with God. Remember that it is the ABSENCE of God that allows one to take another's life.

Prayer:

Father,
            We pray for the Santa Fe community today and in the days to come. We pray for ALL the families, too. We pray for Your promised peace that passes all understanding for all those struggling with these horrible acts of violence. Thank You for moving on JJ's heart to financially support the victim's families. We ask that You continue to bless him, Father. Your Word in Galatians 5:6b NLT tells us, What is important is faith expressing itself in love. Help us to express it fully. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Kingdom Living +

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10 NKJV

Right from here, let me assure you this is NOT a political statement. However, to properly reveal how I have been corrected, I have to provide a little America history background.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This sentence - from the Declaration of Independence - is one of the best-known sentences in the English language and has been called "the most potent and consequential words in American history" according to a book titled American Creation. The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing grievances against the crown, asserting certain so-called “natural rights,” including the right of revolution.

People who are born and raised in the U.S. usually have a different view than most everyone else with regard to the world and the way they think it should be. Unless one has traveled or lived outside of the continental United States, the prevailing mindset is we have our rights - certain unalienable Rights – and that’s all there is to it. (And if you are blessed and highly favored of God enough so that you get to live in Texas – well, I’d say that statement alone is proof that there is a certain – shall we say – convinced attitude – of what rights are natural and unalienable…) And as Americans (whether Texan or not), if anything goes against our grain or “violates” our rights, we’re going to do something about it. (And right up to this point, I’m amen-ing and nodding approval and in 100% agreement with myself…)

But a few years back, my very Texan, very American pastor poked a great gaping hole in my Texas/American attitude and made me look at myself in the Light of Truth. What am I FIRST– a Lover of Texas? An American? Or a Christian? Where do I pledge my allegiance and faith? By what rules do I live? Where is my heart?!? 

Well, I’m a Christian Texas-loving American…  However, the Word reads, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. As Christians, we’re no longer in a democracy, we’re in a kingdom. God’s kingdom. He rules… with HIS rules.

Prayer:

Father,

            Forgive me for every time I try to bend the rules to accommodate myself – to try to justify my own wants and my own desires. I want to follow You. I want to live the way You want me to live. Help me, Father. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen