Promise for Today - Live Inside Out

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:31-33 NLT

We get up. We go to work. We get our paycheck, pay our bills, and buy groceries, and repeat. Get up. Go to work. Pay bills...

Nothing wrong with working and taking care of business. The Word tells us we are to work. I think the question should be, what is our motivation? What perspective do we have with regard to our work? Are we working solely to keep a roof over our heads, put food on the table, and take care of those things that address our personal comforts and desires? Do we rely solely on ourselves and the work of our hands?

I spent almost half of my life working to provide for just that. Frequently working two or three jobs at one time, trying to make ends meet. Always worrying about whether or not there would be enough. When there doesn't seem to be enough money to go around, our thoughts immediately go to tomorrow and next week and beyond. We live so focused on meeting the needs of the outside of our bodies.

Then I discovered this passage of Scripture. I was horrified to read that "these things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers..." And verse 34 tells us to not worry about tomorrow. How? How do we do that?

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else."  The King James Version reads this way, "Seek first the Kingdom of God."

First. Seek God FIRST and live righteously.

Living righteously has nothing to do with meeting the needs of the outside of our bodies. It's about changing our hearts and minds to live pleasing to God. We don't do that by what we wear or what we eat or how good we look. Remember, God told Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 

We must seek the Kingdom of God above all else - BEFORE all else. We who are following Christ must live from the inside out.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for opening Your Word so we gain understanding. Help us to always remember that there is only room for one Number One and that's You. You are God and we are not. Holy Spirit, remind us always to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - At Work In Us

God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.

Philippians 2:13 NLT

I find great hope in this verse.

Increasingly, I find I have more of a desire to do what will please God, and I am encouraged to know that He is at work in me to give me the power to do it. At work in me to provide the discipline to override my flesh that just wants to be a couch potato after a long week. At work in me to accomplish and complete those God ideas pulling at my heart and the tasks that are calling my name.

In John 9:4, Jesus tells us, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work."

I know I'm playing catch-up from the moments and hours I have wasted in this life. When that night comes, I want to be able to say that I have finished what God assigned to me. I do not want to stand before Almighty God and not be finished. That's why it gives me such great hope to know that God is working in us... working and working and working some more.

Prayer:

Father,
           According to Your Word, we want to do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize us or You. Help us to live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Most of all, Father, we want to finish our assignment and fulfill Your purpose for our lives. Thank You for providing such great hope by working in us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - A Favorite - Heading to the Barn

The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”'
Matthew 13:24-30 NKJV

This parable of the wheat and tares is so rich! It has been taught and dissected from every angle, I'm sure, and today, it hit me in light of how close this old world is to winding down.

Have you ever heard anyone say - at the close of a working day - "It's time to head to the barn"? It's a colloquialism meaning loosely, "I'm done - gonna put up my tools - I'm finished working for today." So, basically, I hear Jesus saying, "Let things ride for right now. We'll do the final separation of good and evil; the believers will be gathered into the barn for an eternity of celebration."

Where will you be when that day comes? By His grace, I'm headed to the barn.... Hope to see you there!

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for all You do to keep us encouraged in following You. Continue to watch over us, and to open Your Word to our understanding. Give us wisdom, O God, along with clean hands and pure hearts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Bend to the Task

"When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God."
Leviticus 23:22 NLT

In a day and age when the world seems to be more and more about ME-ology, what's in it for me, selfies and selfishness, what's mine is mine, I love reading this passage of Scripture.

Provision certainly was made; however, it's important to note that the poor and the foreigners still had to come to the field and glean the grain that was there for them. It was available to them, but they had to work for it.

In some ways, this puts me in mind of harvesting God's Word for our lives. The main haul is the message or sermon we hear, but we have to dig into the Word to get what is left there for us. Not handed to us, not dropped in our laps, but rather, there for us if we will bend to the task and begin gleaning.

God has promised us that when we seek Him, He will be found. Let us glean all that we can from Him.

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for the provision You have made for us. Help us to gather all that You have provided so that we fulfill Your perfect plan for us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

In Vain

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalm 127:1-2 ESV

Have we got our priorities in the proper order? I would encourage each of us to examine ourselves - the time we spend building the house versus the time we spend building our relationship with the Lord. We can work ourselves into the grave worrying about working enough hours to pay the bills, etc. (anxious toil). Worry is the antithesis of trusting God. The Bible teaches us that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.

If we want to work, let's work on getting our priorities straight. Put God first in everything, then and only then will everything else fall into place. If you never have enough hours in a day, I promise you that time sown in building your relationship with God will reap a harvest of the most productive use of the remaining hours in the day. 

Put God first in all things. Otherwise, it's all in vain.

Prayer:

Father,

          Open our eyes of understanding to see that worrying is choosing to not trust You in all things. Forgive us, O God, for trusting in our own labor. We do not want to be cursed for trusting in our own strength (Jeremiah 17:5). Turn our hearts toward You in all things, Father. Holy Spirit, guide us into all Truth. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Requested - Get to Work

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see.
Romans 13:11-13 NLT

I love the quiet of the predawn light. It is quiet. It is beautiful. The only sounds to break the blanket of silence are the whispered lap-lapping of the water against the bulkhead and that of the pelicans as they hit the water in pursuit of food. The sun peeks up over the rim of the earth with its promise of light for today. I never want to leave. I want to stay forever... but there are the tell-tale signs of the world waking around me... sounds that carry across the water...muffled voices of the fishermen, clinking and clanking of pots and nets.

Morning has broken. It's time to do something.

What does any of this have to do with our text? Well, as much as I want to not leave this place of peace, I know the cry of our text is to wake up out of our comfortable place, our status quo and see what is at hand. What's at hand in the immediate moment is that the day is dawning and I need to go to work. What's at hand in the world at large - in our one-day-closer-to-Jesus'-return? That Day is coming and we have to get to work.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for the beauty You lay before us each day. Thank You for having laid the path that we must follow. Thank You for the reminder that we're not here to please ourselves in our pursuits. Lord, give us the wisdom and the strength to be about Your business and get it done. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Get to Work

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see.
Romans 13:11-13 NLT

I love the quiet of the predawn light. It is quiet. It is beautiful. The only sounds to break the blanket of silence are the whispered lap-lapping of the water against the bulkhead and that of the pelicans as they hit the water in pursuit of food. The sun peeks up over the rim of the earth with its promise of light for today. I never want to leave. I want to stay forever... but there are the tell-tale signs of the world waking around me... sounds that carry across the water...muffled voices of the fishermen, clinking and clanking of pots and nets. 

Morning has broken. It's time to do something.

What does any of this have to do with our text? Well, as much as I want to not leave this place of peace, I know the cry of our text is to wake up out of our comfortable place, our status quo and see what is at hand. What's at hand in the immediate moment is that the day is dawning and I need to go to work. What's at hand in the world at large - in our one-day-closer-to-Jesus'-return? That Day is coming and we have to get to work. 

Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for the beauty You lay before us each day. Thank You for having laid the path that we must follow. Thank You for the reminder that we're not here to please ourselves in our pursuits. Lord, give us the wisdom and the strength to be about Your business and get it done. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Working for More

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
Mark 8:36-37 NLT

We are a society consumed by consumer conquests - the biggest TV, the fastest Internet, whatever most G network money can buy, the newest phone, tablet and/or computer and all the applications to go with it - not to mention the car that is compatible with all of it! Get that overtime, so we can get the ____________.

I am not knocking work. The Bible says if you want to eat, you should work. However, what is your motive? Is it just to get more something? There's nothing wrong with wanting a comfortable life, but is it at the expense of your relationship with Christ? Do you have less time for your quiet time with God? What about your family relationships? Are they suffering because of the hours you work or the hours they work? How comfortable is that?

Let's get real. He who dies with the most toys, still dies. And when he does, where he spends eternity is determined by his relationship with Jesus Christ. We are working for more; we just need to be sure we know for more of what.

Prayer:

Father,
            Your Word declares itself to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Illuminate our way to see clearly what You would have us do to restore and renew right relationships with You and with those You've entrusted to us. Show us what to let go of and what we need more of. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen