* Guaranteed Life

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

It seems we spend most of our lives trying to prove who we are or who we want people to believe we are. And yet, Paul told the Corinthians, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” 

We all want to be a new creation. We all want to have a new life, but we don't always want to do what it takes to have that. As Christians, we are supposed to die to self.  When it comes to the reality of that, we don't like the sound of it or even the thought of it. However, to have new, there must be an end to the old. And we're so worried about that! We don't want to "lose ourselves."  And we sure don't want to die. One of my favorite Alan Neel quotes is, "The only way to have resurrection life is to actually die [to self]."  

The writer of Hebrews says it best, Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT

There's nothing to fear. We're talking resurrection... a guaranteed life in Christ.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for the Truth of Your Word - the comfort and peace in Your promises. It is good to know there is something solid to stand on - something that does not change or waiver. There's no chance of losing our balance when we're standing on Your Word. Help us to understand it better - to rightly divide between soul and spirit so that we truly understand what it means when we read ...in Him we live and move and have our being... In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Useless

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1st Corinthians 15:58 NLT

Have you ever felt useless? I know I have... And it's always predicated on what I have or haven't been able to do. And here lately, it seems there's so much more of "haven't been able to do" than "have". It can be frustrating, to say the least, and even devastating, at times... but that's the Truth of it when I look to ME instead of to GOD.

You see, the Truth is God didn't design us to be useless. He didn't form us in our mothers' wombs and declare, "You will be useless." He has given us gifts and equipped us with skills to help build His kingdom, to fulfill His purpose IN and FOR our lives. 

Psalm 139 tells us God fashioned all the days of our lives BEFORE there were ANY days of our lives. How could ANYTHING God does be considered useless? 

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Prayer:

Father,
          Wake us up to Your plan and purpose for each and every day of our lives. We want to be used by You - for You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Keeping It Clean

As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
Luke 11:37-41 NLT

Christian comedian Tim Hawkins does a skit about hand sanitizer and Greeters in the church. It's funny, but I have to admit, I am one of those people who has a "thing" about clean hands. I cringe when someone wants to shake my hand, using the same hand I just watched them cover their mouth with while they coughed or sneezed. I don't refuse to shake their hand - after all, Jesus touched and healed lepers and He said we could do the things He did and greater works shall we do (John 14) - but when the greeting is over, I do reach for the hand sanitizer in my purse. (Y'all pray for me...)

Am I as careful with what goes inside of me? Do I guard my heart with due diligence knowing that out of it spring the issues of life? Do I practice and implement forgiveness when offended or hurt? Do I bless and release those who have trespassed against me? Do I protect my thoughts, thinking only on 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, do I think on these things?  

If not, why not? 

Jesus asked, Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? I'd say He nailed that in more ways than one.  

Prayer:

Father,
           Keep us ever mindful of Your Truth. We pray according to Your Word in Psalm 24. We want to be able to climb the mountain of the Lord and to stand in Your holy place. We want to receive Your blessing and have a right relationship with You. Give us clean hands and a pure heart, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Yoke's On Us +

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

There are times, I bristle at circumstances that seem way out of proportion to my ability to pull my own weight in any given situation. And I may fuss, fret or fume about it, depending how powerless I feel. However, what I want - more than my own way - is God's way. His way is for me to NOT do it alone. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you..."

On my way to work this morning, I heard a reference to this Scripture and my first thought was, "This burden is heavy..." and I got a mental image of me with a yoke over my shoulders, struggling to try to pull a load of burden that was way too much for me to pull by myself. Then I "saw" Jesus stepping in to shoulder the other side of the yoke I was in. Immediately, I stopped straining against the yoke. My spirit was revived and my strength renewed as we walked together, matching our steps, stride for stride. In Truth, the load was indeed much lighter, and I barely noticed the weight. 

As Psalm 124 declares, If it had not been the Lord who was on our side... 

Prayer:

Father,
          I don't know why we think we can do this by ourselves. We cannot. We are so grateful for Your daily instruction; for taking the time to lead us, to teach us - as only You can. We need You, Lord. Keep us ever mindful of this Truth. "More of You, less of me." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Light On or Off? +

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NKJV

About a decade ago, dear friends of mine gifted me with a Tiffany lamp with a dragonfly pattern. I love that lamp - for lots of reasons - but just to name a couple: One - My friends thought enough of me to get it for me. And two - They know me well enough to know I collect dragonfly items. 

However, the most important reason I love it is that God has taught me much through this Tiffany lamp pictured here - without the light and with the light.

Oh, even without the light on, you can see there's some fine workmanship in it - lots of potential - but you can't see its' true beauty. And even with a light shining directly on it, you could totally miss the dragonflies. However, once that lamp is lit - Can you believe the difference? The colors are so alive and vibrant! The jewel tones splash onto the wall lending the light and beauty to everything within their touch...

And THAT'S how it is when the Light of the World comes to live inside of us!  Our potential becomes obvious, and we become what we were created to be! And the light and love that God places inside of us should splash onto everyone and everything within our reach. 

Is your light on or off?

Prayer:

Father,

           We want YOUR light to so shine through us that it points the way to You for a world walking in darkness. May we reflect Your light, Your love and beauty to those You have placed within our reach. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Hit the Dirt

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.
Luke 8:11-15 NLT

It is my humble opinion that all of us have walked through each stage represented in this passage of Scripture. I believe that is why reading and hearing the Word of God was never intended to be a one-time event. Scripture tells us, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). The more we hear it, the more our faith grows. The more our faith grows, the more we hear it and begin to embrace the truth of it. The more we embrace the truth of it, the more our hardened hearts our broken up. The rocks get broken down to a size that we can toss away. The soil gets loosened with the washing by the water of the Word and the roots of the thorns of this life can be more easily plucked out of our lives.

Hosea tells us to plant the good seeds of righteousness, and we will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of our hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord... When we do, we will have the good soil in our hearts so that when God's Word comes to us, we will cling to it, and it will produce a harvest in our lives. So... hit the dirt! Plow it up, according to His Word.

Prayer:

Father,
           We want to be the good soil - the honest, good-hearted people who hear Your Word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest. Help us to embrace Your Truth over the facts of our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* It Doesn't Matter What They Think...

 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
Luke 7:39 NLT

Do you think Simon ever entertained the thought that Jesus was the Saviour of the world or was it more of a "He's the latest fad - very popular. I'm sure I can prove what He's not, but just in case He IS something, I can say I hosted a dinner in His honor" kind of thing? Do you think - at that moment - Simon was re-thinking the invitation he had extended to Jesus? The woman was a sinner!

Do you think for one second that Jesus was wondering what His status would be or what it would become in the community based on this - this sinner - touching Him? Do you think He recoiled at the thought? Not on your life! Or hers. Or mine.

What they thought of Him did NOT change who He was or is. For that matter, what WE think/believe of HIM does not change who He is, but by His Grace, it can and will change us. 

I love this story for SO many reasons... but mostly I love this story because Jesus was touchable by the untouchable. What they thought of Jesus at that dinner table, what they thought of HER at that dinner table... none of it mattered to Jesus or to her. His love was REAL and she knew it. 

Too often, we rehearse the history of our lives in terms of unworthy. We know our sins. Too many to count - how could God get past all that? He showed us how. He gave His life for ours. His spotless, sinless, pure and holy life for us... the Word says, "While we were yet sinners..."  (Romans 5:8).

Do you think it was only for Mary? Do you think it's only for someone else - someone who hasn't done what you've done? Simon the Pharisee would think that. He'd have wanted YOU to think that. Remember this. Simon was wrong back then and he'd be wrong now.

Christ came to be the sacrifice for our sin so that our sins could be forgiven and we could be restored into right relationship with the Father. Lovingly and touchable. We have only to go to Jesus.

It doesn't matter what THEY think about that - what do YOU think?

Prayer:

Father, 
          Create in us a right spirit. Give us clean hands and a pure heart, O God. Thank You for loving us beyond what we can comprehend and thank You for being touchable. Help us to walk resolutely - every thought in obedience to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen