Learn the Lesson +

But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.
Daniel 5:22-23 NKJV

Nebuchadnezzar was Belshazzar's ancestor, the king who God caused to lose his mind because of his pride and arrogance. He lost his kingship and lived like a wild beast in the field after declaring the mighty works of his kingdom were his -done by his own hands - and did not glorify God. Belshazzar knew all this and still didn't humble his heart. The breath God gave them, they used to deny God and renounce Him. So he lost everything, too.

You'd think they would learn, wouldn't you? 

Have we? 

Do we still insist that we don't want to do or go or be what the Holy Spirit is leading us to? Do we acknowledge and glorify God for the strength and the wisdom and the abilities He alone has given us or do we take the credit? 

...and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Let's learn the lesson before it's too late.

Prayer:

Father,
         Forgive our foolish pride and pathetic attempts at greatness. Teach us how to humble ourselves - to throw ourselves on the rock before we are crushed by it! It is only through You that we have life at all. All talents and gifts were given to us in our mother's womb when You created us and numbered our days. All glory and honor and praise to You, O God!  In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Three Verses +

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3 ESV

Three verses. Three powerfully, defining verses of who David believed God to be. 

1. Lord
2. Strength
3. Rock
4. Fortress
5. Deliverer
6. God
7. Refuge
8. Shield
9. Horn of my salvation
10. Stronghold

Do we believe God is all these things? Yeah, but do we believe God is all these things in our own lives?

Prayer:

Father,
          Help us to see past and get past the hurts and history of our lives to rejoice in the redemption of our lives which You have provided. Let our lives be living testimonies of You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Real Living *

Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. “If any of you wants to be my follower,” he told them, “you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow me closely. If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.
Mark 8:34-35 The Living Bible

Today, I attended the Celebration of Life service for Samuel Duane Tucker, co-worker and friend. Three hours of friends and family telling stories and sharing favorite memories of a giant of a man from East Texas! Longest service I've ever been to, and amazing. Another friend said, "It was by far the best memorial service I've ever attended!" 

There was no pretense. Nothing contrived. Just honest folk telling the tapestry of Sam's life, thread after beautiful thread of loving and giving and total commitment - first to His Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ - which taught him how then to love others, give of himself and be totally committed to those in his life. 'Service' was the operative word to describe Sam. My heart is so full!

He didn't preach his Christianity. Sam lived it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live. Sam was living proof of what it means to really live.

Prayer:

Father,
          I pray comfort for Debra, Rachel and Katie and all the other Tuckers and friends who have been left behind. I pray for anyone reading this who has lost someone dear to them and still feels the overwhelming pangs of grief. I thank You for the peace that was prevalent in today's service, and I pray, Father, that You would manifest Your peace that truly passes understanding to those in need of it. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

Psalm 37 *

From the Living Bible

 Never envy the wicked! 2 Soon they fade away like grass and disappear.3 Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in safety.

4 Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires. 5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. 6 Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from the noonday sun.

7 Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act. Don’t be envious of evil men who prosper.

8 Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm. 9 For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who trust the Lord shall be given every blessing. 10 Only a little while and the wicked shall disappear. You will look for them in vain. 11 But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing and shall have wonderful peace.

12-13 The Lord is laughing at those who plot against the godly, for he knows their judgment day is coming. 14 Evil men take aim to slay the poor; they are ready to butcher those who do right. 15 But their swords will be plunged into their own hearts, and all their weapons will be broken.

16 It is better to have little and be godly than to own an evil man’s wealth; 17 for the strength of evil men shall be broken, but the Lord takes care of those he has forgiven.[a]

18 Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men, and gives them eternal rewards. 19 He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough. 20 But evil men shall perish. These enemies of God will wither like grass and disappear like smoke. 21 Evil men borrow and “cannot pay it back”! But the good man returns what he owes with some extra besides. 22 Those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by him shall die.

23 The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. 24 If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.

25 I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry. 26 Instead, the godly are able to be generous with their gifts and loans to others, and their children are a blessing.

27 So if you want an eternal home, leave your evil, low-down ways and live good lives. 28 For the Lord loves justice and fairness; he will never abandon his people. They will be kept safe forever; but all who love wickedness shall perish.

29 The godly shall be firmly planted in the land and live there forever. 30-31 The godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong.

32 Evil men spy on the godly, waiting for an excuse to accuse them and then demanding their death. 33 But the Lord will not let these evil men succeed, nor let the godly be condemned when they are brought before the judge.

34 Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing,[c] and you will see the wicked destroyed. 35-36 I myself have seen it happen: a proud and evil man, towering like a cedar of Lebanon, but when I looked again, he was gone! I searched but could not find him! 37 But the good man—what a different story! For the good man—the blameless, the upright, the man of peace—he has a wonderful future ahead of him. For him there is a happy ending. 38 But evil men shall be destroyed, and their posterity shall be cut off.

39 The Lord saves the godly! He is their salvation and their refuge when trouble comes. 40 Because they trust in him, he helps them and delivers them from the plots of evil men.

Prayer:

Father,

          May we walk in such a way as to be counted godly in Your sight - by Your saving Grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* No Pop Quiz

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Job 23:10 NIV

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1st Peter 1:7 NIV

When you were in school, how did they check to see how much you'd learned? Wasn't there a test? At the end of every chapter or unit, wasn't there a test? And if you failed it, didn't you have to take it again or at least do something to prove you learned it? Did it make you study harder? When you aced the test, didn't you feel confident in your knowing?

It's the same with learning to walk with the Lord. Scripture tells us in 2nd Timothy 2:15 KJV - Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. God the Father and Jesus His Son are very clear throughout the Word that there will be tests and trials. Peter tells us, Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1st Peter 4:12 NIV)

So, it's not a pop quiz. You know it's coming. Soon, it's gonna be THE final exam. Study to show yourself approved unto God...

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for giving us the complete syllabus for the full life course. As we study, Father, let it go deep into our hearts to change us so that our lives bring You glory and honor and praise. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Coasting

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” 

1st Peter 1:13-16 The Message Bible

We like to coast. It's easier. We don't have to work as hard at whatever it is we're doing. It can be very pleasurable. Wind at your back, helping to push you along. There's nothing wrong with coasting per se, it's just that often times we make a habit of it.

Before long, it's almost too much effort to get in gear and actually work for something. That is a very dangerous place to be! The path of least resistance ALWAYS leads us back to the wrong place on the wrong path. Don't go back there! Pedal hard! Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now.

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to put our minds in gear to be totally ready to receive Your gift. Shape our lives by Your life, O God, Your Word - a life energetic and blazing with holiness. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* On the Inside

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.
2nd Corinthians 4:16 The Message

This verse made me think of soaking the dried lima bean in the wet paper towel in a clear glass jar in elementary school. Did you do that experiment? A hard, dried bean. You couldn't bite one, they were so hard. No soil. You didn't even wrap it up in the wet paper towel; you just stuck it in between the side of the jar and the paper towel. And there it was for all the world to see - on the window sill where it would get the sun's light. Dried bean with skin that starts to shrivel with the wet. Coming to life on the inside, but not able to tell from the outside. At least not right away. Then it's split and the sprout appears along with a whole root system. Almost before you know it, you've got a plant that's ready for good soil in order to produce a harvest.

We can feel that way in life sometimes. Hard, dried up. Stuck in a cold, hard place. However, if we get the washing with water by the Word, and some of the Son's light, it won't be long before we'll be having our own change on the inside. Maybe no one can see it right away, but we're getting rooted and grounded in the Word, and then we begin to grow in His grace. A new life in Christ!

Prayer:

Father,
            Continue to soak the hardness out of our hearts and lives by the washing with water by Your Word. Cause our roots to sink deep and strong in You and produce a harvest of the good things You have planned for us to do. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen