Giving Everything

Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.
Joshua 1:7-9 The Message

Somehow we got the idea that if something is from the Lord or it is God's plan, it would be easy. That's not true. That's the enemy of our souls twisting God's Word to try to deceive us.

The only thing Jesus said would be easy is His yoke (see Matthew 11:30), but it's still a yoke. And what is its purpose? To pair two together to get the job done. We are still paired up to do the WORK together. Are we going to try to coast through it or will we give it everything we've got, just like Jesus did? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.

Prayer:

Father,
Open our eyes to see Your Truth. Strengthen our hearts to do Your will. Give us the mind of Christ, too. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Keep On Keeping On

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 NLT

There is nothing about our Scripture reference today that indicates our Christian walk is a one-time pass-through event. There's no "I tried it once, it didn't work." There's nothing that indicates we'll get it right the first time or even the second. What does "keep on" mean to you?

Back in the 1960's "Keep on keeping on" was a popular phrase. A lot of people thought it originated with the Curtis Mayfield song, but in fact, Mayfield had taken the phrase from a Martin Luther King speech made in 1964. Given Mr. King's vocation, it is safe to assume it is a paraphrase of Scripture, more likely Philippians 3:14 where Paul talks about pressing on toward the prize. 

The point being, we don't try once and quit. We keep on asking. We keep on seeking. We keep on knocking. In the words of the old song, "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase. So bravely run the race till we see Christ." 

Let's keep on keeping on.

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us to be overcomers by the Blood of Jesus and the word of our testimonies. Be our Waymaker and our Strength. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Something Different...

 This is something I have not done before, but I feel strongly about this message from Robert Morris and the LIFE-CHANGING power of it.  Please, listen to it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DnA62yi5pc

Prayer:

Father,

          Reveal to us what You would have us see and know. Prepare our hearts to receive it and to embrace Your Truths. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

 

The Reality

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT

The world as we know it is piled high with worry and strife and stress. Bowed under the weight of it all. We're literally sick, weary and tired of the doom and gloom of our so-called current reality. So, what is our reality?

Christ. He is our reality. Not our circumstances. If we read verses 8-9 in our text for today, we find that Paul's current reality was even worse and yet his eyes were fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

As followers of Christ, the Word tells us to cast our burdens on the Lord. We are the sheep of His pasture, not pack mules to be laden with the weight of the world. In Matthew 11:28 NLT, Jesus tells us, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. That's our true reality.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for Your Word to give us life, to encourage us, and to lift us up. Thank You that it provides a solid foundation on which to stand. When all else has failed, Father, You never fail us. Open our eyes of understanding and our hearts to receive Your Truths over any and all circumstances in our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Three Things

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
James 4:14 NLT

Most of us go about our day as if we have all the time in the world. We'll do this later - we'll get around to that eventually. There's no sense of urgency or of time being short. We make plans for the tomorrows of our life as though we have an unlimited number of them. 

We do not.

There was a horrific crash on the freeway this morning - the two vehicles engulfed in flames so fierce the hood melted shut. One driver died in the flames. One miraculously survived. I can guarantee neither of them had planned to die on their way to work this morning. 

What's my point? Actually, I have several. One - don't put off getting into a right relationship with God. Do it now (see yesterday's post for how to do that).  Two - if you have a relationship with family that is strained or estranged, do what you can to Resolve the issue(s), to Reconcile, and Restore it to the right standing. Three - life is too precious and too fleeting to snap at others on your way out the door. What if the last thing you say to someone you love is something you never get to apologize for? I can't help thinking about the person who died this morning. I hope they were sent off on their day with a kiss and a kind word for both their sakes.

Resolve. Reconcile. Restore. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.  

Prayer:

Father, 

           We want to walk in love and forgiveness as Jesus did. Help us, O God! Give us clean hands and pure hearts and help us to walk according to Your Word in Galatians 5:22-23, in the fruit of the Spirit - with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. and self-control. Let us live our lives according to Ephesians 4:2, to Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. And as admonished in Philippians 4:5 to let our gentleness be evident to all.  We humbly ask all this in Jesus' Name. Amen

MOST IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
Mark 16:15 NLT

My prayer has always been that this blog would somehow help you in your day-to-day relationship with Jesus. If you don’t yet have a relationship with Him, then the MOST IMPORTANT THING I can do for you is to tell you this:

The Bible (God’s Word to us) tells us everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23 NLT). The Good News is Jesus (God’s Son) died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins so we can be forgiven, and the free gift of God in return is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

How do we accept the gift? The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9-10 NLT,  If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Are you ready to do that now? If so, let’s pray this prayer:

Dear God,

        I know I am a sinner, and I ask You to forgive me. I believe Jesus died to pay for my sins and that He rose from the dead and is alive today. I choose to turn from my sinful ways, and I ask Jesus to come into my heart and guide me in how to change my life to live for You. I want to trust You and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, Luke 15:7 tells us there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine upright persons who need no repentance. There's a party going on in Heaven right now - celebrating just for you!

If you don't have anyone to tell, feel free to openly declare your faith by sending an email to Hepromised2021@gmail.com to let me know. 

Prayer:

Father,

           I pray for anyone who has prayed that prayer. I pray for a hedge of protection around them.  Please send people into their lives for support to strengthen them and help them live for You. I pray that You will lead them to the right church as they start this journey toward Home. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

A Refreshing

A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 NLT

This year has been hard. Early in the year, I lost my brother and then two friends from church, then two long-time neighbors (unrelated to each other), and most recently, one of my closer friends. He and his wife are "inner circle" friends, and her grief is overwhelming. Thankfully, our church family understands what it means to be a family and how to weep with those who weep, how to put love into action, and truly how to bear one another's burdens. It has been so obvious these last 3½ weeks. 

God, in His unfailing faithfulness, places people in our daily paths to encourage, to lift up, to reminisce, and to laugh in the telling of memories. Helping hands, practical helps, unlimited offers of "anything you need" all lavished so that while we grieve, we are reminded that we are not without hope. 

Tonight, I attended a social event that takes place monthly at our church. I didn't really want to go. I had lots of excuses for not going. This was my first week back at the office since March of 2020, and I was tired. I wasn't in the mood to play games and it was game night. On and on - I had a list. But then I thought of my sweet friend who wanted to go because she and her husband used to go all the time before he got sick so I sucked it up and went. Thank You, Jesus

There is something about being in fellowship with other believers that strengthens a weary soul. Do you remember that old Michael W. Smith song, "Friends"?  One of the lines in the chorus is, "And friends are friends forever if the Lord's the lord of them..." Such a time of refreshing and soul restoration as the love and laughter soothed our hearts and minds. A time to cry and a time to laugh... 

Prayer:

Father,

           Just as Your Word says, To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven... Thank You for love and laughter and hope that springs eternal ever after. Thank You that we do not grieve without hope. We will once again see those who believed in You while on this earth. We look forward to that day. We pray for divine appointments for those who do not yet believe. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen