Building the House

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it...
Psalm 127:1 NKJV

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Ephesians 2:20-21 NLT

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.
1st Peter 2:5a NLT

You've heard it all your Christian life. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. John 15:4 NKJV, Jesus said, Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, He moves in.

So... what kind of house do we offer? A palace fit for a king? Or a shack? Deuteronomy 28 is very clear in telling us that the blessings of God come when we follow His plan... and it's also very clear what happens when we don't.

When the Israelites were instructed to build the Temple, God gave very explicit instructions - minute details - and He expected every detail of His instructions to be followed implicitly. He is explicit in telling us how to build the temple. He shows up after they do what He told them to do. God NEVER lives in a house He did not build. He is not obligated to come to church just because we build a building. Think about that for a minute.

So... do you need a remodel? A makeover? An extreme makeover? Whose blueprints will we use to build His dwelling place? His or ...?

Prayer:

Father,
          How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for Your courts, Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near Your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Build our house, O God. Make us a place where You want to live. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
1st Timothy 4:12b, 16 NLT

I like this tale of a wayward traveler...

I'm leaving Houston, and I'm going to Los Angeles. I arrive in Florida.

Someone asks, "Where are you going?" and I tell them, "I'm going to Los Angeles."
"Well, this is not Los Angeles."
"I know, but I'm going to Los Angeles." and so I leave. I arrive in New York City.
Someone asks, "Where are you going?" and I tell them, "I'm going to Los Angeles." "Well, this is not Los Angeles."
"I know, but I'm going to Los Angeles." and so I leave. I arrive in Tennessee.
Someone asks, "Where are you going?" and I tell them, "I'm going to Los Angeles." "Well, this is not Los Angeles." "I know, but that's where I'm going." and so I leave...

The traveler never got to Los Angeles even though he kept saying that's where he was going.

The point is that it doesn't matter that his intention was to go to Los Angeles. He never made preparation or a reservation or even a true determination to ensure his arrival there.

And in our walk on earth, we tell everyone we're going to Heaven... Is that our intention or our determination? Which "tion" is it? And what will we shun to make sure we get there?

Prayer:

Father,
            It is written that Your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We cannot lose our way when the Light of Your Son directs our path. Help us to read and understand the map of life that You've given us in Scripture. Let our lives be a living epistle according to Your Word so we can lead others to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Do You Know...?

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
1st John 1:1 NLT

A friend mentioned she was in line with someone who knew me, but my friend couldn't remember her name. She used to go to church with me - well, that's several hundred or several thousand that I know of, depending in which state we went to church together. She and her husband are singers - I know lots of couples who sing. That narrowed it a little, but I still had more names than I knew what to do with. Then my friend mentioned the other lady worked at a bank - definitely a shorter list, but I still knew about a handful of names who qualified. She recently had a baby. We have a winner! I knew exactly who it was then.

The lady and her husband are actually friends first with my son and daughter-in-love, and I met her through them while I still lived in Missouri. She has a great laugh and a slightly warped sense of humor (takes one to know one). Prior to the birth of their beautiful daughter, she managed a branch of a well-known bank, and really stepped up to the plate for me during a time when I hadn't been in town very long and I was trying to get a check cashed.

We know OF lots of people, including very famous people. We know OF Abraham Lincoln, but we don't know him. We know OF well-known personalities such as Albert Einstein, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Christiaan Barnard, but we don't know them. However, we act like we do because we know something about them... but it's not the same as knowing them.

We know the people who have been in life with us and been there for us. We know what motivates them to do the things they do, why they act a certain way. We know their hearts, not just their dos and don'ts.

Do you know Jesus? I don't mean do you know OF Him, I mean, do you KNOW Him? Has He been alongside of you in the trenches of your life? Do you laugh together? Do you remember good times? Does He have your back in the tough times? Do you look back and remember when you were first getting acquainted? Do you sing going down the road together? Do you talk together every day? Do you know His heart? Do you want to?

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for loving us and for sending Your Son so we could know You in all Your glory. As we get closer to You, reveal Yourself to us even more. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

No Less Love

And so I tell you, 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. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.
Luke 11:9-12 NLT

I spent the entire day with my youngest granddaughter, Abby. They call it babysitting, daycare, whatever. I call it love in its purest form. It was the best day on several counts, but the two most important are; One - I love being with her. I don't care where it is or what we're doing, I just love being with Abby. And two - God illustrated some real truths for me.

On this particular day when Abby was a toddler, I discovered that my perfect little granddaughter was not perfect. She has a temper and a very strong will. That does NOT make me love her less. If anything, it allows me to love her more and to prove it by guiding her in the right direction. She cannot purchase or prepare her own food or drink. She could only feed herself finger food snacks (if I got them from the pantry and doled them out for her). She made a mess in her diapers and needed to be changed frequently. That does NOT make me love her less. She was still crawling. She could pull herself up on anything and could climb well. She had learned how to stand but would stumble or fall when she tried to walk alone. 

I had to appoint times for her to rest and isolate her from distractions and the noise and cares of this world so she could. I comforted her even when it was me she was angry with (because I didn't answer her plea the way she wanted it to be answered). That did not and does NOT make me love her less. 

She needs supervision because she will get into everything - and some of it even AFTER she's been told 'no'. That does NOT make me love her less, either. Nor does any of it make me want to spend less time with her. 

And if I - being sinful - know how to do these things for my granddaughter and still love her with a love that defies description, HOW MUCH MORE will our heavenly Father do all this and more for each of His children?

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive us for all those times we didn't recognize Your love in action. Open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our hearts to receive and believe Your love for us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Travel Advisory

Do this and you will never ever be lost. In this way you will receive a rich welcome into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2nd Peter 1:10b-11 CEB

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Lots of food. A long weekend. What’s not to love? Lots of people travelling. Regardless of your mode of travel, I hope you have great directions for your final destination.

As one who can get lost so frequently that all roads look familiar, I am thrilled to find today's promise - Do this and you will never ever be lost. Since our destination is the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it would behoove us to follow the trip advisory that God has laid out for us. If we go back a few verses in our text for today, we find this vital information:

By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. Through his honor and glory he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality that sinful craving produces.

This is why you must make every effort to add moral excellence to your faith; and to moral excellence, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, endurance; and to endurance, godliness; and to godliness, affection for others; and to affection for others, love. If all these are yours and they are growing in you, they’ll keep you from becoming inactive and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These are the things we must do so that we will never be lost.

Peter goes on to tell us, Whoever lacks these things is shortsighted and blind, forgetting that they were cleansed from their past sins.

Let's not get lost. God has given us the directions for our journey - His Word. It has all the vital information we need. The route is clearly highlighted. Use it! Don't take one step without it.

Prayer:

Father,

Thank You for the ultimate travel guide. We are so grateful that You have paid the way for us to get to You. We want to be around Your banqueting table on the day You call us home. Keep us ever mindful of the trip advisories in Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

To Die For

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.
Matthew 12:36 NLT

I can’t get away from our text for today. It scares me to think about all the idle words I’ve spoken in my lifetime. With that Scripture in mind, I am amazed at how many times a day I hear, “Oh, it’s to die for!” usually referring to some great recipe or a scrumptious dessert. To be completely honest with you - as much as I love to eat - I hate that phrase!

I cringe inside every time I hear someone say that about food or some insipid situation. I think about every person who ever served in the armed forces. What about the police force and the firefighters? These are people who daily put their lives on the line, ready to die for my safety and/or freedom, and then there are others who think a shrimp or pie is something to die for.

Personally, outside of my family, there’s very little I would die for. I’m not trying to be the word police or Sister Super Spiritual, but when someone uses that phrase in that manner, I have to bite my tongue to not make some smart-aleck remark like, “Really? You would die for that? Actually, lay down your life just so you could eat that?”

I think about this Scripture in Romans 5:6-8 NLT, When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

He died for us so that we can live forever in eternity with him. He loved us so much He deemed US worthy to die for. Now THAT’S something to get excited about and to share with everyone!

Prayer:

Father,
            Forgive us when we lose sight of what is truly worthy of honor and glory and praise. Only You, Father. Only You. Keep us ever mindful of this truth. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

A Place to Stand

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
Isaiah 28:16 NLT

Archimedes - a mathematician and inventor of ancient Greece - is purported to have said, "Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough and I will move the world." Scientifically speaking, with the working principle of the lever, that could be true...but we also know, he had no such place to stand. It's easy to make such grandiose remarks when you don't have to prove anything.

That's what I love about God - His Word is good! His Word is true. And He backs it up. If He said it, it's a done deal. The Earth is proof. The sun is proof. The moon is proof. The oceans, the trees, the birds, the sky, every living, breathing element of life. Proof.

What else did He say? Maybe you'd better open the Book. You need to know how it's going to end or you won't have a leg to stand on.

Prayer:

Father,
           Open Your Word to us - let us see more clearly. Teach us what You would have us to know. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen