Following After

     Listen, dear friends, to God’s truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths, stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother’s knee. We’re not keeping this to ourselves, we’re passing it along to the next generation - God’s fame and fortune, the marvelous things he has done.
     He planted a witness in Jacob, set his Word firmly in Israel, then commanded our parents to teach to their children so the next generation would know, and all the generations to come - Know the truth and tell the stories so their children can trust in God, never forget the works of God but keep his commands to the letter.
Psalm 78:1-7 The Message

I've been reminiscing for the last 10 days or so. Another of my friends passed away and his service was this evening. He was about 15 years older than me and we swapped stories for several days in the last two weeks of his life. I thought I knew quite a bit about him, but I found out tonight, I'd only discovered just below the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. I knew he'd had a full life, a faithful wife who preceded him in death who he loved until HIS last breath, and that his was an intentional life. He lived with purpose.

His one concern was that perhaps he had not left a path clear enough for his daughter and granddaughter to see their way to Jesus. I told him if that path - however short or long - led him to Christ then it was clear enough for them to see and we prayed that their eyes and hearts would be wide open to see what God had for them.

We must be intentional about teaching our next generations about Jesus. We cannot leave it to this world to teach them. We must lead the way for those who are watching where we're going. Judges 2:7 tells us, And the Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him—those who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. Then Joshua died and they buried him and in verse 10 we read, After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. One generation was all it took and they were separated from God - doing evil in His sight. 

So, the question is, are we following after that which will cause those who are following after us to follow after Christ?

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us for ever misstep we have made along the way. According to Your Word, please make straight the way and plain the path so that we can leave good imprints as we follow You and our generations follow after. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Giving It Away

The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mark 4:14-15 NKJV

I shake and shudder at Matthew 12:36 that says we will answer for every idle word we have spoken. Has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble or am I the only one? I have said some of the stupidest things and at the worst times... I cringe even now when I think about them. I should have been handed a pencil and paper from the very beginning and never allowed to speak. At least when I'm writing, I can delete or erase or rearrange and edit, and I would stand a better chance of getting it right before someone hears it or is hurt by it. 

You might be wondering what that has to do with our Promise for Today. How does satan take away the Word that was sown in our hearts? For the answer, we have to ask ourselves, do our words agree with Truth or lies? The Holy Spirit guides us into all Truth according to John 16:13, and satan is the father of all lies. Both speak into our lives constantly. And we speak, also. The question is - What is coming out of our mouths? With whom do we agree? 

As an example, when we tell ourselves (or others) I just can't get it right, I'm stupid, I'm such a loser, I can't win for losing, I can't get ahead, et cetera, we align ourselves with satan's lies instead of God's Truth. Whatever Word was sown in our heart to overthrow those lies is given away when we open our mouth and side with satan. 

Mark 4:4 tells us we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The writer of Hebrews instructs, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Proverbs 18:21a tells us that Death and life are in the power of the tongue... Stop giving it away.

Prayer:

Father,

          Your Word tells us we are snared by the words of our mouths, but You, O Lord, are the Lifter of our heads. You came to set the captives free. Open our eyes to see the Truth of Your Word, to walk in it and like Jesus to speak only what we hear You say. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Bread Lovers

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again."
John 6:32-35a NLT

How are you doing with your New Year resolution(s)? I'm sure you know the number one resolution is to lose weight/get healthy, yet on average, more than 80% fail to keep their resolution. It's not easy. I don't want to admit that I've tried most of the diets that are out there, and I think I could be more successful if someone else would cook the food. I really enjoy a lot of the recipes but I hate to cook. That being said, the only recipe I didn't mind making on a regular basis was the alternate bread recipes. I would fire up the oven even in the summer and knead the dough because I.love.bread...of any kind.

One of my favorite Scriptures used to be Give us this day our daily bread...  The reality is, as you well know, that's a request for provision, not as a response to polyphagia. However, just as we require sustenance for our physical needs to live, how much more do we require sustenance for our spiritual wellbeing? John 1:1-2 tells us, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. In Scripture, bread is symbolic of the Word of God, and Jesus confirms it when He tells us He is the Bread of Life, the true bread. 

Think about this for a moment. We don't physically fast 6 days a week on a regular basis, so why would we think we could fast spiritually for ANY days, let alone from one Sunday to the next with no bread in between? In a world obsessed with fat-free, zero-calorie, and net carbs, we need to become Bread lovers once again.

Prayer:

Father, 

          Let us be able to say and live our lives as Job declared, I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Realities

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
Colossians 3:1-2 NLT

Today, I attended the funeral of a teenaged girl who changed the lives of those around her with her incredible smile. She was a special needs child and non-verbal, but her smile spoke volumes. Tuesday evening, I will attend another funeral for one of my friends. I will miss the comfortable camaraderie and repartee of our relationship. The good news is I know where both of them will spend eternity.

Pastor Alan used our Promise for Today as the Scripture basis for today's service and I was struck by the phrase realities of heaven. Have you ever given Heaven any real thought? Have you ever stopped to ponder what it will be like? Oh sure, we talk about streets of gold and gates of pearl, the 24 elders on their thrones, and meeting Jesus face-to-face, and talking with our favorite persons from the Bible, but have we thought beyond those things? 

It's not going to be all white lights and no color. There's going to be plenty of color! Ezekiel talks about a sapphire throne and the glory of the Lord - that the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. Revelation tells us that the foundations of the city walls are adorned with every kind of precious stone and John also said, At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. The One seated there looked like jasper and ruby, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne. We're not going to riding around on clouds and playing harps all day... We're not going to be angels. Angels are separate beings. We have a song of praise that the angels cannot sing because we have been redeemed. And I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but we're not going to have wings, either.

Are we guilty of letting Hollywood define our idea of Heaven? That cannot be good. Paul tells us to set our sights on the realities of Heaven. What are those realities? We need to search those out because we are now one day closer to our eternity than we were yesterday.

Prayer:

Father, 

           Thank You for all the incredible sights we have here on Earth. Thank You for the people You put in our lives to love us, to teach us, to be examples. Help us to learn all we can from them. Teach us to love them as You have loved us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

In the Same Breath

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
Isaiah 53:5 NLT

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
1st Peter 2:24NLT

But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
Luke 5:22-25 NKJV

As Christians, we believe the Bible is the divinely-inspired Word of God and as such, we believe it is true. We also believe the purpose of Jesus dying on the Cross was to pay the price for our sins so we can be forgiven. We can believe that we are forgiven because Christ's death on the Cross set us free from sin. So... then I have a question.

As witnessed in our Scripture references above, the Lord talks about both forgiveness and healing in the same breath. If we have no problem believing Jesus forgives our sins, then why don't we believe in healing? 

Prayer:

Father, 

           We pray as the father prayed in Mark 9:24, We believe! Help our unbelief! Shine the light of Your Truth on Your Word as we study it. Reveal to us all that You would have us to know. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

No Way, Right?

 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Romans 4:18-19 NLT

Abraham never allowed his failures or sins to change his belief in God's promise. He didn't allow them to redefine who or what God said Abraham would be. He kept right on believing that he would be the father of many nations because God said so and he used God's word as his foundation. It's not easy - especially in the face of circumstances that scream "No way!". And yet, he was.

How about the borrowed axe head that floated?  (2nd Kings 6) No way, right? And yet it did...

The donkey that talked to the prophet (Numbers 22) - No way! YES, absolute way!

The Bible is filled with testimonies of overcoming impossible situations that had no reason for hope until God stepped in. 

It doesn't matter what you're facing - or how hopeless it seems. Invite God into it. Get into His Word and BELIEVE what He has to say about it. Spend time in His presence and listen for his voice. He'll make a way where there is No Way...

Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for giving us the measure of faith and the opportunities for us to be able to grow in it. Thank You for allowing us to come into Your presence and stay there. Thank You for making a way when there is no way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Seeing 2020

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

New Year's Day marks the anniversary of the first Promise for Today that I sent to a handful of friends and family members in 1996. When I first started, I used other people's devotional books. We went through quite a few over the years. but I always let people know what book we were using. And sometimes I would elaborate and add my own comments. Those of you who know me know that written words are my passion... but I started with the works of others.

Then in 2007, my beloved former pastor, Doc (Dr. Howard O. Jameson) challenged me to step up, to make it personal and write from my heart about how God's Word affects me, rather than from someone else's heart and perspective. It has been the most challenging commitment of my life.

My slogan for this new year is "Seeing 2020".  I want to make a concentrated effort to be IN the moments of my life in 2020. I want to see people face-to-face instead of Facebook to Facebook. I want to be present and accounted for. By God's grace and with His direction, I will. As always, it's all about the choices.

The first Promise for Today that I sent out started with this excerpt from Max Lucado's book When God Whispers Your Name. I send it out as the first Promise of the New Year to remind us of our choices.

Max Lucado writes:
It's quiet. It's early. The coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose. And so I choose.

I Choose Love ... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I Choose Joy ... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical ... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I Choose Peace ... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I Choose Patience ... I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I Choose Kindness ... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I Choose Goodness ... I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I Choose Faithfulness ... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I Choose Gentleness ... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I Choose Self-Control ... I am a spiritual being ... After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.
Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for the power of Your Word to change our lives and our choices for how we live the life You have given us. Give us the courage to walk in the conviction of Your Word. Father, we ask that You guide us in EACH step of our life. I pray Your provision and protection over those You have allowed me to touch with Your Word. Let us be ever mindful of You, Lord, the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen