Counted Wise

Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. 

James 4:13-18 The Message

It's not always easy dealing with people. We're flawed. We flounder. We fail. It's hard work to get along with each other, but SO worth it!

Prayer:

Father,
           Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer! Help us to obtain Your wisdom by living a holy life and getting along with those You have placed in our sphere of influence. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

For or Against Love

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
John 13:34-35 NLT

The King James Bible states today's Scripture like this; By this ALL WILL KNOW that you are My disciples, if you have love FOR one another (emphasis mine).

The world is well aware of what we as Christians are against. My question is - Do they know what we are FOR?

There are some great organizations that have been founded in order to give Christians a voice - in the world, in politics, even in the workplace. Most people are aware of the Christian stand against abortion and sexual immorality and pornography and human trafficking, etc. These are all battle-worthy, but are we also ready to love like Jesus? Romans 8:38-39 tells us how strong His love is for us. Can we say the same of our love for others? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The question in my mind today is not whether those around me know I am a Christian, but rather HOW do they know? What reasons would THEY give for saying they know I am a Christian? Is it because I have love FOR or because of what I stand against?

Prayer:

Father,
            Our hearts cry out to be free from distrust. Teach us to love each other with a holy love like You have for us and teach us to love You as You desire to be loved. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Farther Along

Do not envy sinners in your heart. Instead, continue to fear the Lord. There is indeed a future, and your hope will never be cut off.

Proverbs 23:17-18 GWT (God's Word translation)

Envious of sinners?!? Never!!! Right? Check your heart...

When things go wrong for us - those of us who are trying to follow in Christ's footsteps - and the blatant sinner goes merrily along, seemingly without a care, do we sometimes wish we had their life? Do we ever wish that we didn't feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit - like the conviction that makes us hold our tongue when what we really want to do is tell them off? I don't need to list any more examples, your heart may have already taken you to a similar situation. That's being envious of sinners in our hearts. 

There's an old hymn titled "Farther Along" - one of my very favorites. It talks about wondering why we're always tempted and tried and why it has to be like that when sinners don't seem to be bothered at all. Oh, there's some lamenting in it, but then there's the verse that reminds us of the Truth of today's text - There is indeed a future, and your hope will never be cut off. The last verse of the song starts with, "When we see Jesus coming in glory...' THAT's when we'll know that NOTHING on Earth compares to what waits for us in glory.

Oh, dear one, when we see Jesus coming in glory - coming to take us home with Him - we will be thrilled that we chose not to envy, but rather continued to fear the Lord! Hold this Truth in your heart - There is indeed a future, and your hope will never be cut off. 

As the song says, "Farther along, we'll know all about it..."

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for the Truth of Your Word - the conviction and encouragement that comes from it; the promises and our confident hope in its life-giving instructions. Father, give us wisdom AND understanding. Help us to see there is indeed a future. Keep our feet on the path to our eternity with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Me-anity

Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 

Galatians 3:2-3 NLT

Guilty! Guilty as charged! When will we grasp the gist of grace? When will we comprehend the cruxes of the crucifixion? When will we divest ourselves of our delusions that we could possibly do anything to earn salvation?

Why is it so difficult to relinquish our will and our own selfish desires to the One who has given HIS all so that we could have it all? Is it because He didn't answer our prayer the way we thought He should? Is it because we didn't get the spouse, the job, the house, the car, the (fill in the blank) when we "really prayed hard"? Is it because the loved one died anyway?

Here's the Truth. We cannot have Christianity on our terms. It's not called "ME-anity." It's His rules. His way. And Jesus is the only way to God.

Where's your trust?

Prayer:

Father,
              According to Your Word in Hebrews 11:6, It’s impossible to please You apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach You must believe both that You exist and that You care enough to respond to those who seek You. I choose to lay down my will in surrender to Your will, O God. I want to walk humbly before You. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

All of Them

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

I was thinking about this today...

All the hard times we've faced. The hospitalizations we've survived. The near-death experiences. The bills that managed to get paid. Vehicles that have been gifted to us. Employment positions that have been created and offered. All those times I just couldn't see any way to make it through and yet, we did! Every time! Every one of them! ALL of them because of the faithfulness of God!

I woke with these words in my heart from the old Sheri Easter song,
♪♫ Over and over, again and again
Through it all, He's made me able
To stand and survive, to come through alive
When it sure looked like I couldn't win
Jesus is with me so I claim the victory
Over and over again ♪♫

Peter tells us in Acts 10:34 that God shows no favoritism to all those who fear Him and do what is right. So, I came to tell you that He'll do it for you, too. And in case you have a hard time believing that, I would point out that I KNOW this isn't the first trial you've faced, but you're still here. All those times YOU just couldn't see any way to make it through and yet, you did! Every time! Every one of them! ALL of them because of the faithfulness of God! 

Prayer:

Father,

           Give us grateful hearts to recognize ALL the times You've brought us through. We may have some battle scars, but we made it through because of Your faithfulness toward us. Redirect our focus, Lord. Help us to see Your handprint on the day-to-day of our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Making Good Soil

But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.
Mark 4:20 The Message

Have you thought about a Fall garden? Here in Texas, the weather is perfect for it, but how's the soil?
Everyone knows it takes good soil to produce a good harvest. What if you don't have good soil? Do you just forget about it and give up hope for ever having a "harvest beyond their wildest dreams"? Never! Never give up! There IS a way to prepare the soil. Add lots of organic matter - compost, fertilizer, etc. It will stink to high heaven at first, but when it reaches its fullness, according to gardenorganic.org, the finished product is "dark, rich, crumbly, and sweet-smelling." And that type of rich soil will produce!

Obviously in our text for today, Jesus was teaching in story form, likening us to the different kinds of soils to receive God's Word (the seed). So, what if WE don't have good soil? What if we're lacking what it takes to produce a great harvest? What can we do? Add lots of organic matter. 

Organic matter consists of things that were once alive, but are now dead. Stuff that is no longer useful to us until the heat of the compost pile turns it into something used for good. Breaking it down to practical application. We are to be dead to sin: anger, hatred, lust, gossip, lies, etc. Whatever you struggle with - throw it on the pile. Add to that the occasional "fertilizer" of life's circumstances - throw it on the pile. When we give it to God - whatever it may be - according to Philippians 4:18, it comes before Him as "a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God."

Turn it over to God and let the fire of the Holy Spirit cook all the garbage out of it and make it useful to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive God's Word and produce a harvest beyond our wildest dreams.

Prayer:

Father,
          We welcome the work of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit cook all the garbage out of it and make it useful to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive Your Word so we can produce a harvest of souls for Your kingdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

What Percentage?

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
Mark 12:41-44 NLT

Relax - I'm not going to ask you for money! 

The two coins the widow dropped in the collection box were lepta. Two of them equaled one quadrans. One quadrans equaled 1/64th of a daily wage. So, if she'd 128 lepta, she would have had equal to a day's wage. She had only two. It was all she had and she gave it all. That's 100%. Let's talk about percentages. 

In today's time, for a little perspective, multiply your hourly wage by 8 (or 10, depending on how many hours per day) and divide by 64. That's all you have. What would you do with it? Selah...

When it comes to money, God doesn't require 100%. He calls for a tithe - a mere 10%. However, when He calls for your heart, He wants it all... He started by giving all of His.

Prayer:

Father,
             We want to be cheerful givers in every way. We want to love You with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, and we want to love our neighbors as ourselves. Teach us to love, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen