S.P.A.M. - Shelling Peas And Ministering

Proverbs 17

2010-02-17T08:23:00.001-06:00

Proverbs 17:17 states “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” How very true is that! I’m sure everyone has had those “friends” who are with you when times are good, but desert you when things get tough. It hurts to have trusted someone, only to have them hurt you, leave you, disappoint you in your time of need. It can cause you to be bitter, untrusting, and afraid to let anyone close. But, fortunately, that is not the only type of person in this world.

This passage speaks of a true friend, and how you can recognize them. Someone who loves you all the time, someone who is there when times get rough, not only there, but also there to support and help. As Christians, that is who we are supposed to be to one another, a true friend “through thick and thin”.

I am very fortunate to have true friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, ones who are there with me through it all, good times and bad. I know and can trust, when adversity strikes, they show up to help me through. Thank the Lord for friends such as these, it would be a dreary world without them. God bless and keep you all!

Proverbs 16

2010-02-16T08:18:00.001-06:00

I’ve been struggling a lot with failure, forgotten dreams, unfinished goals; all of which had me questioning my abilities, experience, and life. However, upon further scrutiny, I looked at those goals and searched for the Lord, they were not His, but mine!

Proverbs 16:3 states, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” If I’m tired of failure, then I need to seek the Lord for His plan for my life, seek His will and direction, commit my actions and efforts to Him and His glory, only then will I succeed, and success will be all the sweeter, for it will be God working through me, not me alone. Now that’s success on a whole higher level!? Right?

Remember, God loves you and wants the very best for you, commit your life and plans to Him, and succeed with beaming confidence that you allowed Him to be glorified and shine to the world, and He will be very pleased!

Proverbs 12 - Lies

2010-01-12T08:34:00.002-06:00

Lies are hurtful, deceitful, and can cause great misery. I’m sure, if we are honest, we can admit that we all have lied, right? I know I have, many, many times. If you say “no”, then you have, you’re lying right now! :D I’m sure we have all been hurt by lies too, right? We never have trouble admitting that one. In fact, I’m sure we could speak for hours on times when someone else’s lies have hurt us deeply, caused misery, built resentment, destroyed relationships, etc.

Eventhough it has happened to us, we still lie ourselves, why? I think it’s because, when you’re on the “giving end” of a lie, it appears as the “easy way out”. If I tell the truth, I’ll get in trouble or they will hate me or it’s tough. You see, we’re focusing on OUR OWN feelings when we lie, not the feelings of others, we only care about US not those whom the lie might hurt. But what we miss, is that lying also destroys us in the end.

The truth will come out, eventually, and I think we all can attest to how bad it is then. You usually get in more trouble, are disliked even more and find it’s a lot tougher when you are caught in a lie than if you would have told the truth from the beginning, right? If you don’t think so, if you think “it doesn’t hurt anyone”, then look at the American Idol tryouts for an example. Look at all those people totally shocked that the panel, particularly Simon, thinks they sound horrible. They know they sound good, people have told them that all their life. How innocent is that little lie now?

We know lying hurts, then why do we do it? Moment of stupidity? Maybe. Maybe this lie won’t turn out badly like the others? Possibly. That no one will know? Now we’re hitting the truth. We think that no one will know or find out that we are lying, that we’ve “gotten away with it” before, and we can again. That’s why I believe we continue to lie. However, we’re wrong there too, God knows. He knows everything about us, so He knows when we lie and the Bible says God DETESTS it! ²² “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful”. God the Creator of all, the One who loves us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us detests lying. I don’t know about you, but that strikes a nerve today. I don’t want to do things that God detests, especially not after all He has done for me, but that is exactly what I do when I lie. He knows, He sees, the lie hurts others and God too. I can imagine the pained expression on Gods face when I lie, the hurt and disgust He feels, I don’t want to do that to Him, and I’m sure you don’t either. I want to bring God joy, see His smiling face, know that I have done well in His sight, as I’m sure you do too. So join with me today in speaking only truth, in which God delights, it may be a tough change for us, but it is a start and we won’t be alone, God will be with us.

Dear Lord, please forgive me for my lies, how they hurt you and others, and please give me the strength and courage to tell the truth today, to bring delight to You and others, so You will be glorified. Amen.

Explaination and Checking In

2009-08-05T08:35:00.002-05:00

Hey guys, I know it has been a while since I posted here on the blog. If any of you were wondering, quite honestly, the blog became something I did because I felt i "had to" not necessarily because I "wanted to". I've been focusing on reading the Bible and discussing it with my sons during our daily devotions and listening to the intruction from my ARSOM (AR School of Ministry) text to learn to read the Bible joyfully and eagerly, and am trying to do so, and am really pleased with the results so far. It's not an excuse, there is no excuse, just a statement to inform :D.

With what I am learning, I am pondering over taking this blog to a new level. It might be a while, but I am interested and feeling led to make this more than a place for people to come to read my long posts. Any ideas about what you would like to see or do would be greatly appreciated. I am sorry if i let any of you down and I look forward to hearing your ideas.

The Lord bless and keep you,

Rick

Romans 13 - Respect Authority

2009-06-24T09:14:00.001-05:00

“ 1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

This is an excellent verse to remember in society today. There is much talk about leadership and “what is right”, about following one’s own agenda and rebelling against authority out of lack of respect for leaders. Parents often quote one of the Ten Commandments to children, “Honor thy father and mother”, but adults quickly forget we are also to honor our leaders and respect authority as well.

As it says in these verses, the governing authorities are there only because God has established them, therefore, we are to respect that authority. Whether it be church, local, state or federal authority, we are to follow the rules governing us, with respect for the authority and position, if not for the individual person. Therefore, regardless of your political outlook, disrespect for authority is disrespect to God, who established that authority. Not a popular message, but one we all need to hear and remember.

Romans 12 - What to do with One of Those Days

2009-06-23T08:44:00.001-05:00

“2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Do you have those times when all seems to go wrong, when you’re frustrated for no reason, when you just feel like you’re “at the end of your rope”? Sure, we all do. We look at the day and say “I just don’t understand what is happening and I don’t see how any good can come of it.” That is where verse 2 comes in.

We live in this world and are affected by what goes on within it. It is very easy, if we allow it, to be overcome and overwhelmed by this world and try to conform to it. When we do, we loose sight of God’s will and become easily dazed and confused, lost and bewildered, frustrated and hopeless, but that is not the end. By following the verse’s instructions, we can get in tune with God. Pray and worship Him, spend some time conversing with Him, allow God to transform us through renewing our minds. That is when we will see God’s infinite love and wisdom, understand that (even if we don’t know His will) His will is “good, pleasing and perfect”.

Simply, God is in control if we let Him. We get distracted by the world, so at times we need to remove that distraction by going to the Source of all that is good and holy, God. So if you are facing “one of those days”, get alone with God, renew and be transformed, seek God’s will, for He will never disappoint. Blessings.

Romans 11 - "I" trouble

2009-06-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

“ 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

Simple, true, and powerful. All things are under God’s watchful eye, all the gifts and “fortune” you believe “you” “earned” have come from Him. Your talents, abilities, etc. are gifts from God and they will be used to His purpose or returned to Him. If we can grasp the concept that we are not the “owners” of anything, but rather are using them on “loan” from God, then greed, petty arguments, selfishness, apathy can all be conquered. It would not be so painful to give, since it is not ours anyway. It would be easier to give God glory for achievements, since it was talent given from Him anyway. Do you see my point? When we realize that all we are, can be, have and can have come from God, through His will and for His purpose, the better we can be used for His purpose and fulfill our own. And by aligning with God’s will, allowing Him to bless others through us, we enrich our lives and remove the “stumbling blocks” like greed and etc. To God be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 10 - Old Law Lingers

2009-06-21T12:11:00.000-05:00

“ ¹Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ²For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Under the old law, before Jesus Christ, there were rituals to be followed for cleansing of sin, but the Israelites began to lean heavily on the law and the letter of the law instead of the glory of God. It became about saying the right things, doing the right gestures, eating the right foods to be holy, none of which absolved sin and gained righteousness. That is why most rejected Jesus and the gift He gave to the world. They couldn’t understand that there was nothing they could do, no amount of “good deeds” that could save them. There is only the righteousness of God that comes through the Son, Jesus Christ, and Jesus paid the price that ALL can be saved, not just the chosen few. Jesus ended the old law and established a new covenant for ALL, Jews and Gentiles, who believe. Thank you Jesus for Your sacrifice and loving me enough to die for me, even though I don’t deserve it, You did it anyway. Praise the Lord!

Romans 9 - Good Deeds are not Enough

2009-06-20T12:36:00.000-05:00

³⁰What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. ³²Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." ³³As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Here the Bible clearly displays that it is not works that saves us, but faith that gives us righteousness. There is nothing that we can do to “earn” our way into Heaven. Only through faith in Jesus Christ can we gain the righteousness to enter. So if you are listening to society and believing that “I’ve been good, I’ve done good things, that’s good enough” then you are sadly mistaken. God is not “santa claus”, there is no good or bad deeds, you can’t be good enough to overcome sin, only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ could pay that debt. So don’t count on your “good deeds”, increase your faith and accept Jesus today, before it’s too late.

Romans 8 - Set Your Mind on the Right Path

2009-06-19T12:27:00.001-05:00

Romans 8.

“ ⁵Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

This is what separates us from animals and also gets us in and out of trouble. We have the ability to control our actions and CHOOSE what to follow. We can listen to society tell us we “deserve” things and to think about “ourselves”, which leads us into following and focusing our minds on our sinful desires, which damage our souls and leads to destruction. But, thank the Lord, that doesn’t have to be the case.

We have the ability, thanks to Jesus Christ, to focus our minds and lives in accordance with the Holy Spirit, follow what the Spirit desires, and it will lead us to eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.

It is this simple, what you focus your mind on will determine where you will follow and how you live. Focus on sinful things and you will continue to sin. Focus on negative things and you will be negative. Focus on the Lord and you will follow the Lord. Don’t blame it on your upbringing, your situation, your lack of education, etc., each of us have a choice and are accountable for our own actions, which way will you choose?

Romans 7 - Why do I do the Things I do?

2009-06-18T08:47:00.001-05:00

“¹⁵I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

Here Paul is pouring out his heart saying what we all struggle with. It is our sinful nature that keeps us from doing what we know is right AND heads us right down that path of sin that we know is wrong.

Isn’t that how it is for Christians all over? It is difficult to understand why we want to do the good and right things, but we don’t YET we definitely don’t want to do the wrong or sinful things, but that’s exactly what we do. Doesn’t make sense, does it? That is the sinful nature, our flesh, that makes it feel so “natural” to do the wrong thing, and love it.

So if we know this, and this is our sinful nature, how can we stop it? Well, we can’t, but Jesus can. “²⁵Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” That is why He came to die for our sins, to hold the power over sin and death, so we may be forgiven and live eternal. So we too must die to our sinful flesh daily and follow Jesus. Where we lack the power, He has power in abundance and is longing to share. So when we find ourselves being drawn to the sinful things, we need to turn it over to Jesus and let His power and love fill us with the strength to resist temptation and turn from sin. If we do, He will rescue us from sin, if we don’t we will be right back in the same boat we were before we accepted Jesus, on the highway to hell. We don’t have to be strong enough to fight, we just have to know where to go to find someone who is, Jesus Christ. Amen?!

Romans 6 - Wages of Sin is Death

2009-06-17T20:57:00.000-05:00

“²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There it is black and white, our darkest hour and brightest moment all in one verse. As we have discussed, all have sinned, so if we all sin and the wages of sin is death, then we all deserve to die. That is what we deserve but, praise the Lord, that’s not where it ends.

We also have a gift from God, eternal life. Therefore, we don’t have to die, because God has provided a gift of eternal life to us, so even though we sin and deserve death, God gifts us life, better than we deserve.

How do we get eternal life, what is God’s gift? Jesus Christ our Lord. As the Bible says in John 3:16 God gave us His son Jesus as a sacrifice, a gift, that Jesus would suffer and pay the price for our sins, death. But Jesus arose from the grave, conquered death, so that we may live, and live abundantly and eternal, He conquered the grave for all of us. That was God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus and He gave it to ALL of us who want it and have the faith to believe. Thank you Jesus, I am not worthy, but You love me anyway. Bless the Lord!

Romans 5 - God is Good

2009-06-16T20:43:00.001-05:00

“ ¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

There it is, not by our works, but by our faith that we are justified and gain access to grace, only through Jesus. Additionally, we are to rejoice in our sufferings! Rejoice? We are supposed to be happy that we suffer? Yes. Because, as the verse says, it is through our sufferings that we gain perseverance; through perseverance that we gain character; through character that we gain hope; and that hope in the promise of Jesus Christ will never disappoint, for God is good. He loves us so much that He poured His love into the Holy Spirit as a gift to us. The Holy Spirit that serves as a guide in hard times, a comfort in struggles, strength in our times of weakness, and gives us access to the Creator of the universe! Praise the Lord, thank you God for your love and grace, which I don’t deserve, but You give willingly anyway. God is indeed good!

Romans 4 - Hope Beyond Hope

2009-06-15T16:45:00.001-05:00

“¹⁸Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." ¹⁹Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. ²⁰Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

What an awesome encouragement to us all, a testament of God’s goodness in all situations AND an example of how we should approach ALL situations with God in control. As the verses state, Abraham had no reason to believe it possible that he would be the father of many nations, other than the fact that God said so and he held to that faith and was rewarded with God’s goodness.

We all face troubled times, many of us are doing so now, but let me tell you something, God is there for us. Deuteronomy 31:6 states, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." So, like Abraham, we may be facing things that logically appear to be hopeless (financial, relationship, abuse, hunger, etc.), but like Abraham we must have faith in the Lord our God, praise Him for His goodness in ALL things, thank Him for what He has done and for His promise to us. We must trust in the Lord and “against all hope” rest in the truth that He loves us, gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, and He is the same now that He was then with Abraham. God will not forsake us, we are His children, He will always be with us.

So if you are facing that “hopeless” situation, cover it now with the blood of Jesus, take it to the Lord our God and leave it at His feet, not to worry about it anymore. He will provide if you ask Him and let Him. Remember Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” He is waiting for you now. God bless and keep you.

Romans 3 - Two-Fold Blessing

2009-06-14T16:30:00.001-05:00

Romans 3.

“²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. I have used this verse many times in my texts and sermons, and it still speaks to me today. All (not some, not a few, not most, but ALL) have sinned. This is a pertinent reminder to us when we are quick to judge and condemn (as discussed in yesterday’s post). Before we jump to criticize, we should check ourselves, for we are not without sin either and that’s how Paul used it in context. He stated that we are all sinners, Jews and Gentiles alike, that one person is not above the other. We have all sinned and deserve death, no law or good deeds can absolve us from that, only grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our faith in Him can save us. So keep that in mind as a “self-check” before we go off to judge or gossip about others, but also keep it in mind as encouragement for when we fail. Everyone has sinned, we all have failed God at some point, but that doesn’t have to be the end. Thanks to Jesus, we have the opportunity to ask for forgiveness then get back on track, closer than ever to God and become stronger for our failures and shortcomings. So this verse can be a two-fold blessing (and many more really), a “self-check” for pride and ego, and an uplifting encouragement of hope for those fallen. Thank you Lord for being so good all the time. Amen.

Romans 2 - Judge not

2009-06-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

Romans 2.

^“1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. “

It can be very easy to judge others, even unintentionally, because of their actions. The public opinion is that Christians have an unfortunate way of doing this more than others, however, it is wrong (see more judgment). Because we are Christians we should be even more forgiving that others, for it was Jesus Christ who died for us and the forgiveness of our sins. It is especially a turn off to non-Christians when we act “holier than thou” and turn around and do the same things ourselves, which is what verse 1 addresses. If we continue to judge, without changing ourselves, there will be trouble.

“⁵But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶God "will give to each person according to what he has done."

We will be judged by the measure we have judged and by what we have done. Therefore, when the opportunity arises, pray for the Holy Spirit to give you a heaping portion of compassion and mercy, for you never know when you might require the same. Also keep in mind that we are sinners too, and Jesus died for our sins, for our forgiveness, so we, in turn, should be ready to forgive, not judge, others. Amen?!

Romans 1

2009-06-12T09:44:00.001-05:00

“¹⁶I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹⁷For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Praise the Lord! Jesus Christ is not just for the Jews but for all of us who will accept Him. Paul says “everyone who believes”! Not only a certain class, race, gender, nationality, but for everyone! Additionally, Paul states that the gospel reveals the righteousness from God and it is founded by faith in Jesus Christ. It is not by our own deeds we become righteous, but only by the blood of Jesus. And to that end, we must move forward and “live by faith” and like Paul do so unashamed, for faith in the word of God, in His promise to us, in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in His glorious return is how we live and are sustained. Praise and thanks be to the Lord, our God. So hold your head up high, be bold and empowered by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is in Him the only hope that is needed by the lost and dying world.

Acts 28 - Healing

2009-06-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

“ ²⁷For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.”

Paul is quoting Isaiah in these verses and they stood out to me and go along with yesterday’s reading and message. When we ignore the warnings and close our ears and eyes to God, we are further entrenched in our sin. It then appears that there is no hope or no way back, but look at what God says to us, “and turn, and I would heal them”! You see, as I said yesterday, it is not too late to seek God, through Jesus Christ. He is longing to have a relationship with you, longing to forgive you and HEAL you from the sins that plague your life.

As Pastor Brett discussed last night, sin has a way of appearing alluring, seeming to be all we want, but once we commit sin, it traps us and destroys our lives, but Jesus Christ has already paid the price for our sins, we are not bound to them, we can let them go and turn them over to God, wash in the blood of Jesus and stand renewed and strong. Satan will tell us there is no way out, that it is too late, that God has forgot us and this is how it’s supposed to be, what we deserve, that is a lie! Hebrews 13:5 God says “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”, never will He forsake or leave us. Hallelujah, praise the Lord! God is waiting for us to turn back to Him, ready to forgive us and heal us of our sins and hurts, but we have to make the first step.

If you are facing this now, please seek the Father and let Him heal you and make you whole, as long as you’re breathing it’s not too late. I pray to God to give you the strength to go to Him now, break the ties of sin that bind you, and receive healing from our loving, forgiving Heavenly Father, and I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ the Son and our Savior, amen!

Acts 27 - I Ignored the Warning and am in Trouble, is it too Late?

2009-06-10T10:46:00.000-05:00

This chapter tells of Paul’s journey as a prisoner sailing to Italy. A journey wrought with troubles and disaster, but also with good glory to God. You see, it was another example of God taking a bad situation and using it for good and His glory. In verses 10-11 Paul, a prisoner, warned of impending trouble with a storm, and the Centurion would not listen. ¹⁰"Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." ¹¹But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.”

Then, as Paul had warned, the storm showed up. “¹⁸We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. ¹⁹On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

After many days of the storm, Paul addressed the people again, this time clearly telling them that God had told him through an angel of what would happen. “²¹After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. ²²But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. ²³Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' ²⁵So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. ²⁶Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."

Then the storm raged on and the men were getting afraid and hopeless. “³⁰In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. ³¹Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." ³²So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.” This time the centurion listened to Paul, a prisoner, for Paul brought the hope of God.

Next, Paul, a prisoner, took the lead and used the situation to spread the word of God and give God glory and thanks, while bringing more hope to them all. “³³Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven't eaten anything. ³⁴Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." ³⁵After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.”

Finally, salvation was in sight, land was close as Paul had said, but “⁴²The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. ⁴³But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. ⁴⁴The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.”

You see this entire story was an example of how God can take a bad situation and turn it into good for His glory. A lowly prisoner offered advice based upon the will of God and no one listened. Then, because no one listened to the warning from God, trouble arose, but there were further opportunities to seek salvation by turning around and seeking the will of God, just as the centurion did through Paul, especially in the end by sparing Paul’s life. Even though the centurion was in command, he still knew that the situation was beyond his control, he knew he should have listened to the warnings, but didn’t. However, instead of following his earthly pride and command, he relented to Paul, the lowly prisoner but also the messenger of God, and because he turned, his life was spared.

We face the same trials in life. We get warnings from God either directly, through leaders, or even through unexpected places (like a “lowly prisoner”) and we have the opportunity to listen and avoid trouble or ignore the warnings and suffer the consequences; however, because God loves us dearly, He gives us second chances. As you notice, in the story, the storm didn’t stop immediately, it was a consequence of ignoring God’s warning, BUT God did give a way out IF you will listen and turn to Him.

Some of us are facing that exact situation right now, and I say to us all, turn to God. Satan will tell you that you already messed up, that it’s too late, but Satan is a liar. God gave the soldiers and centurions another chance in the midst of the storm, and God will give us the same, but we must turn NOW and seek His will. It may not stop the troubles immediately, but it will keep them from getting worse, just as in the verses today. My prayer is that God will be with you during whatever you are facing and that you will take the opportunity to let Him shine to you and through you in this time of trouble; for God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

Acts 26 - Sin is not the End, if You Give God a Chance!

2009-06-09T08:42:00.004-05:00

Paul became one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time, but we couldn’t see that from his beginnings. In the following verses Paul, on trial, tells of his past before Jesus.“ ⁹"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”

As one can see, Paul, then Saul, did many things to persecute Christians. If we were in that point in time looking for a great Christian leader, would we have chosen one who has done those things listed above (one who went all over the land to persecute Christians and cast votes to put them to death)? Absolutely not! I wouldn’t have, but God can see through all things and use everyone and anyone, regardless of their past and mistakes, for His glory. Just as He did with Saul, turned Paul. Who would think that an avid Christian opponent would be one of the strongest Christian leaders and writers? God and only God could have seen it.

So now I say to you, God can use you too, if you let Him. You see, Satan wants to say that you are worthless, that you let God down, that you can’t be forgiven, you’ve done too much or its too late, that God doesn’t want you, that is a lie! God does not like the sin, but He LOVES us, just as He loves Paul. How much does God love each and every one of us? Enough to send His Son Jesus to die for us! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you, wants to have a relationship with you, wants to help you be all you can be for Him, but you have to take the first step. You’ve made mistakes, done the wrong things, then do as Saul did, cast them at the feet of Jesus, truly repent of your ways, ask for forgiveness, then build a relationship with God, through Jesus, and allow Him to wash you in His blood, pay the price for your sins, forgive you for your transgressions, and allow Him to help you do great things for His glory. If God can change a Christian killer to a Christian leader, what great things does He have in store for you?

I know this is a long post (and I’m making it longer) but I really needed to hear this today and it is no coincidence that God had me write on past mistakes, forgiveness, and moving on to do His will. Please pray for my family for we need it today. Thank you all, and God bless each and every one of you.

Acts 25 - Lessons of Paul

2009-06-08T08:28:00.005-05:00

“ ¹⁰Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. ¹¹If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"

If I am understanding this scripture correctly, Paul is standing before Festus, being falsely accused by the Jewish leaders, simply because his preaching of Jesus was contrary to what they believed. So they did what they could to have him tried and put to death and have the Roman courts turn him (Paul) over to them (the Jews). In these verses, Paul, clearly states that the Jews are on a “witch hunt” by saying that he has done nothing wrong, and everyone knows it. But he also says he will die if they can find him guilty, he is willing to die for Jesus. But he is also appealing to the court of the land that it is completely absurd to hand him over to death for false charges, clearly showing that the Jewish leaders, though they can not prove any charges, simply want him dead and quiet. Therefore, Festus agrees and agrees to have a trial in the Roman courts.

It is important to note these 4 key things. Paul was in trouble for his outward, feverous teaching of Jesus Christ. If he was quiet and stayed in his own comfort zone, there would have been no trouble, but there also would have been no saved souls.

Next, there were many who opposed him, especially religious leaders. The truth is the truth, regardless who agrees or not. Jesus Christ is Lord and the ONLY WAY to the God, period, but there will be those, even other religious leaders who would say differently, you must know and hold fast to the truth.

Then, Paul new his persecutors had nothing on him, so he called them on it. Many believe Christians to be weak and cowl easily to opposition, quite the contrary, we are very strong for it is God who empowers us. When you are doing God’s will, don’t be afraid to stand strong and fight for what is right.

Finally, God used the government to protect Paul from religious persecution. This is essentially what we fought for in America from the birth of our country, where we have the freedom to worship our God, the one true God, without being persecuted by those who disagree. We are allowed, for now, to openly worship God without fear of retribution; however, it will not always be so.

The Bible foretells of a time when we will no longer have such freedom, and it is already happening throughout the world. This is why it is so important for us to exercise this right of freedom, openly worship and praise our God, show others of His greatness, and share with them the truth of Jesus Christ, stand strong and not back down, as Paul did, all while we still can freely. Amen?!

Acts 24 -

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Acts 23 -

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Acts 22 -

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Acts 21 -

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Acts 20

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Acts 19

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Acts 18

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Acts 17

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Acts 16

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Acts 15

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Acts 14

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Acts 13

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Acts 12

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Acts 11

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Acts 10

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Acts 9

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Acts 8

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Acts 7

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Acts 6

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Acts 5

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Acts 4 - Flow Spirit Flow

2009-05-18T08:17:00.001-05:00

Peter and John were in trouble with the religious leaders of the time because of the healing of the beggar. The leaders thought when they killed Jesus that this “uprising” would stop, boy were they wrong. Now the leaders saw Peter and John as a threat and wanted to stop it, so they jailed them and put them on trial, but what the leaders failed to understand is that Peter and John were doing the will of God and God would provide and never forsake them. Here’s what happened.

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Praise God! God used the Holy Spirit to give Peter the words to say to reach the people. You see, God is always with us, He has given the Holy Spirit as a living guide, comfort and strength to encourage and lead us. Stand on the side of God and you will be provided for, in all situations. So you can’t speak, you don’t have courage, you don’t feel you can do it, the Holy Spirit can through you! Just as was done through Peter, where many were saved and Peter and John were let go, all because he allowed the Spirit to move through him, instead of letting human fears and desires reign. Praise the Lord!

Acts 3 - Choose Wisely

2009-05-17T08:16:00.001-05:00

¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ²Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" ⁵So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." ⁷Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. ⁸He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

People were shocked at this healed beggar and even more shocked that Peter was able to heal him, but look closely. Peter did not heal the beggar, Jesus did. Peter invoked the power of Jesus to heal the beggar. Peter was a vessel for the glory of God to shine through.

We are the same. We are all children of God, given the choice to accept His Son Jesus, to choose to have the Holy Spirit move through us. There is no difference between Peter and us, for it was Jesus who healed, and Jesus is the same now as He was then. It is up to us to allow Him to move through us, or seek our own desires and ways. The choice is yours, which way do you choose?

Acts 2 - The Holy Spirit

2009-05-16T08:06:00.001-05:00

Acts 2 discusses the day of Pentecost and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Everyone who was present and willing to receive did so and it changed their lives dramatically to the good. These were the loyal followers of Jesus Christ and the ones who obeyed His command to wait and receive. Others were bewildered and amazed at the Holy Spirit and the power within. The verse that stood out to me was, “ ³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

The Holy Spirit is not just for those who were there that day, it is for everyone who accepts Jesus in their lives, anyone whom the Lord our God calls, you and me included. The God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the same today as they were back then and we have access to them all. Praise God, thank you Jesus, for loving us so much. If you haven’t accepted Jesus, do so now before it’s too late. Accept Him into your life and allow the Holy Spirit to change you, guide you, direct you to a life of splendor provided by the Lord our God, the One who loves you like no other. Do so today!

Acts 1 - Sometimes we wait

2009-05-15T07:46:00.001-05:00

“ ¹In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ²until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Here Jesus is speaking with everyone for the last time before He ascends into Heaven. To all present this must have seemed somewhat of an end, maybe thinking “Jesus is returning to the Father, it was all up to us now”. One’s first inclination is to go, to leave, to return to “normal” life (work, home, etc.) OR go out into the world and spread the awesome news of Jesus Christ. Either way, one might be thinking, it’s time to go do something. But Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait. Wait for the gift from God, the Holy Spirit, which would serve as a guide, comforter, source of strength, and so much more. Human understanding called for going, but Jesus said wait, for there is something great coming that you don’t want to miss.

Many times in our lives we face the same thing. We confuse activity with productivity. We want to move forward, to do something for the glory of God, but sometimes that “something” is waiting on Him and His timing. So, instead of rushing forward for the sake of doing something, we should speak with God and determine our next move. It might be to rush forward, but it might also be to wait until He prepares us for what is to come. In all things, trust and follow the Lord, then there will be no doubt as to what should be done. Blessings.

John 21 - Shame has no hold

2009-05-14T08:20:00.000-05:00

¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

¹⁶Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." ¹⁹Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if he loved Him, not because Jesus was trying to embarrass Peter, but because Jesus was giving him three times to proclaim his love for Him. This was to overcome the three times that Peter denied Jesus, so now Peter was able to proclaim his love for Jesus three times. Isn’t Jesus good? He knew Peter was hurt and ashamed for denying Him and He gave Peter a chance to redeem himself. What an awesome testament to the goodness of Jesus and His love for us.

Maybe you have denied Jesus too, maybe you have regret and shame then, like Peter, you have a chance to redeem yourself. Spend some time right now proclaiming your love for Jesus, as for forgiveness for your denial of Him, and He will forgive you, reinstate you, and allow you to move on for His glory, no longer to be paralyzed by shame and regret.

John 20 - Believing is Seeing

2009-05-13T07:50:00.002-05:00

²⁴Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

²⁶A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Now we may be quick to judge Thomas for not believing, however, we do the same thing. We hear of God’s glory, receive His blessings on us every day, and unfortunately sometimes explain them off as “luck” or “good fortune”, not giving God glory for what He has done. Don’t let that continue, make sure to give God the glory for all that He is doing for you, there is no luck, there is GOD!

There will be times when you question, times when you feel so broken and beaten that you wonder if God is listening or if He cares, but don’t let it discourage you or sway you from the truth, God loves you more than anyone else ever could and He works with you daily, if you allow Him, to receive the great blessings He has planned for you, but you have to make the first step. So just because you can’t see God working in your life, doesn’t mean He’s not there.

Remember what Jesus said to Thomas: ²⁹Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

I can tell you from experience, believing is seeing, for God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I am truly blessed, not because I deserve it, but because God loves me, and He loves you the same. Spend some time with your Heavenly Father today, believe and trust in Him, forge a relationship with Him, for He wants to be a part of your life. You will be eternally glad that you did, and so will He.

John 19 - God's Will Be Done - Jesus Christ is King

2009-05-12T07:48:00.000-05:00

God’s plan always comes to fruition. In this chapter Jesus is crucified, bleeds and dies on the cross for our sins. Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins and thank you God for raising Him from the dead, to conquer the grave. Though it seemed like a defeat to many who were there, it was an enormous victory, for it had to be done to fulfill prophecy and complete God’s plan.

There is a set of verses in this chapter that spoke to me as well. ¹⁹Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." ²²Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

This is another example, on I have read but really missed until now, of God’s will. Pilate, all through the process of Jesus’ capture and crucifixion proclaimed that he felt Jesus was innocent, yet he gave in to the crowd and crucified Jesus, to fulfill the prophecy. However, Pilot, knowingly or not, had Jesus proclaimed as King of the Jews, by placing the sign in multiple languages for all to see. When questioned, he answered “what I have written, I have written”, essentially standing up to the crowd and saying, there it is, like it or lump it, He (Jesus) is King of the Jews. I believe it was God’s way of proclaiming Jesus as King and allowing Pilate a way of professing Jesus’ innocence, but still fulfilling what had to be done.

We face similar things in our lives, we have a choice, like Pilate, to say “What I have written, I have written”, to stand up for Jesus Christ, in the face of many, and proclaim Him King. Amen?!

John 18 - Religion

2009-05-11T07:15:00.001-05:00

“28Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.” Though there were many powerful verses in this passage, this verse kept coming back to me. The Jews wanted Jesus dead, wanted to kill an innocent person, YET they would not enter the palace so they could avoid UNCLEANNESS?! How absurd!

They were more interested in their religious rituals than in doing the right thing by God. Its as if it didn’t matter how they behaved, as long as they kept to the religious rituals, they were clean; it’s heartbreaking. Now, one could argue that they didn’t know (or didn’t want to know is more like it) that Jesus was the Messiah, in that case, He still did nothing wrong, Pilate (who judged Jesus) even said so. It is a shame that hate, fear, envy, loathing, lust for power, etc. can corrupt one to torture and kill someone AND still think “all is well if I follow the proper religious rituals, I am still clean”. To think, “we can kill this guy and all is OK, but stay away from the palace or you are unclean”, now that’s missing the point in a BIG WAY.

BUT, before we are quick to judge, we do similar things. We can pray, read the Bible, go to church, worship, etc. all because we feel we should, because it’s the “right” thing to do, do it all without feeling a thing; essentially, doing it because we feel we “have to” not necessarily because we want to. Is this any different than what the Jews did? If we are simply “going through the motions” without letting the Word change us and the Holy Spirit control our lives through a closer relationship with Jesus, then we are simply going through “religious rituals” hoping all is well. There will be a “wake up” call, and it might be too late. If this is you, I encourage you to pray right now, give it over to God and ask Him to change you from “going through the motions” to experiencing Him in a big way.

John 17 - Prayer

2009-05-10T09:05:00.000-05:00

“1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Throughout this chapter, Jesus prays for Himself, the disciples, and all believers everywhere and through that, in my opinion, He gives us an example for prayer. First, He prayed for Himself. Many times, I feel selfish praying for me, but that doesn’t come from God. I need prayers just as everyone else does, I can’t make it through the day without God, yet sometimes I have a stigma about prayer for myself. I am happy to say that that no longer applies, praise the Lord! If Jesus, the Son of God, the world’s only Perfect Person, prays to God for Himself, then I can too.

Next, lets look at that prayer. Jesus prayed that He would be glorified, not for Himself, but to further glorify the Father (1). He presented the task that He was given by God (2,3), and told God that the task was finished (4), and that He was ready to move forward to the next step in God’s plan (5). All through the Bible and these verses too, Jesus constantly displays that He is there to trust and follow God, no matter where it may lead, that His sole purpose is to glorify our Heavenly Father by completing the task given to Him. This should be our prayer and focus too.

Finally, Jesus then prays for His disciples, His “inner circle” and then for all the other believers (which I feel includes us too). It was not only the prayers (which were powerful and should be read by all), but the progression that struck a chord with me: Himself, His closest friends, the rest of the believers. This shows me how to move in my prayers. If I do not pray for myself to stay on track with God, then I’m in no position to help my friends and family; therefore, I MUST be in alignment with God’s will to bring Him glory by completing the task given to me. Then, I can be of support to my family and friends, which are empowered to support the rest of the world. Essentially, if everyone aligns themselves with God, then we are more empowered as small groups to follow Him, then as small groups we align ourselves, we are more empowered to reach the world. If we do it in any other order, we can damage the whole plan, so we must start with ourselves FIRST, core group NEXT, then to the world.

John 16 - Jesus Gives Hope

2009-05-09T07:06:00.001-05:00

Jesus said, “33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit in this chapter, what an awesome message! In fact, I had to stop many times during this reading to make notes on what I was to write; however, it was this last verse that kept overpowering them all, I could not get away from it.

Jesus explained what was to come to His disciples, not to worry or excite them, but to bring them peace. He knew of His coming torture and death, that He would be leaving the disciples in body, but that it had to be done so He (Jesus) could pay the price for our sins, conquer death and the grave, and overcome the world! Hallelujah! Praise God! As Jesus said, we will have trouble in this world, but thank God, this world is only temporary. Jesus has overcome the world because of His love for us, through Jesus Christ we have HOPE! We are not of this world, but are of God, we don’t remain in this world forever, but with our Heavenly Father, all made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the Son of God. If you don’t know Jesus, accept Him now! Receive the gift of eternal life and SO MUCH MORE. If you do know Jesus, but have strayed from Him, get back with Him now. He is waiting and longing to hear from you, for He loves you like no one else could.

John 15 - Bear Good Fruit

2009-05-08T06:53:00.001-05:00

Jesus said, “5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

There it is, in simple black and white, the reason and meaning of our lives, we are made to bear much fruit. That is, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to make disciples of all nations, to tell the world the Truth of Jesus, and to bear fruit by saving souls. Notice that Jesus said we cannot do this without remaining in Him, without Him we are useless and can accomplish nothing, we will wither and die, fruitless and burned. However, by following Jesus, remaining in Him, we are blessed with the favor to ask in His name and God will honor! Hallelujah! We will have all we need to be fruitful, we don’t have to go it alone or be ill equipped. God will provide for us to show His glory by bearing much fruit in the world and showing ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ the Son.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your greatness and mercy, thank You for giving Your Son Jesus to us to die for our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Thank You for blessing us, in Jesus name, with what we ask, all for Your glory. Please be with us, guide and direct us to bear good fruit for Your glory and kingdom. All praises and thanks be unto You, oh Lord. Amen.

John 14 - God is with Us

2009-05-07T14:30:00.001-05:00

Jesus said, 15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Wow, isn’t God great? What love and sacrifice Jesus has given us! As Jesus says in these verses, the rest of the world is at a loss. They can’t (or wont) accept the Holy Spirit because they don’t see or know him. They ask us for “proof”, because they cannot see, touch or know the Spirit. However, for those who DO KNOW Jesus, feel the Holy Spirit within them, talk, walk and follow the guidance of God through the Holy Spirit, there is NO DOUBT, Jesus LIVES within us. Hallelujah, praise God. We are not alone. We don’t have to face the world unprepared or unequipped. We are not left orphaned for Jesus is with us! As Pastor Rusty would say, “that’s shouting ground”! So take heart, you are not alone, I know that better than most. For the time that I have been away from my family, my church family, surrounded by non-Christian “strangers”, in an environment that is unfamiliar, yet I took heart for God is with me! I feel His presence, I hear His guidance, I feel the prayers of His people, and I stand tall and firm, complete in my faith that God has not forsaken me, quite the contrary, He is there to guide my every step, if I will just listen and obey. Amen!

John 13 - Love One Another - That Means Everyone

2009-05-06T14:19:00.001-05:00

Jesus said, 34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

This is exactly how we can show Jesus to the world AND how others in the world can recognize us as followers of Jesus Christ, by loving one another! Jesus didn’t say, love those you like or love those who are like you, He said “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you MUST love one another.” It is not a request, not a suggestion, we MUST love one another as Jesus loves us. That means if you are harboring ill feelings toward someone, place it at Jesus’ feet and let it go, then love them. If someone does you wrong, love them. Its easy to love those we like, even the lost do that, but it is something beyond human understanding to love those with whom we have difficulty or whom we dislike greatly; however, by doing so, we glorify the Lord. For they know we can not love them by our own accord, so it must be some otherworldly presence allowing us to do so, which is us following the example of Jesus Christ and showing His love to a lost and dying world. I didn’t say it would be easy, I struggle with it greatly, BUT it will be worth it to share Jesus’ love with the world AND to follow His command, “Love one another.” Amen?

John 12 - Belief is not Enough - Action is Required!

2009-05-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

“42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”

There were even believers in the leaders of the church, but they let their humanly desires outweigh their love of the Lord. Because they coveted the preferential treatment they received as leaders in the synagogue AND they were afraid of losing their status in the church (out of fear of the Pharisees), they CHOSE not to follow Jesus. Before we are too harsh in our judgment of the leaders, are we doing the same?

Why do we do the things we do for the church. Are we doing them out of service to the Lord OR are we doing them to receive praise ourselves? Yes, it is good to hear “job well done” both from the Lord and from other humans; however, if we are doing “good deeds” ONLY for the praise of others and NOT for the glory of the Lord, then we are no different than the synagogue leaders in the story above. Amen?

Also, on the flip side, if we DO NOTHING out of fear of what other church folks with think, ignoring the calling of the Holy Spirit, then we are also no different than the synagogue leaders, for they let fear of personal loss (and humiliation) keep them from doing the right thing by following Jesus. They believed, but did nothing. Lord help me not to make that same mistake. Amen?

John 11 - Trust In God

2009-05-04T13:53:00.000-05:00

“1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
4When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Man what a tough but totally God-trusting decision. Jesus loved Lazarus, so much so that later in the chapter the Bible said that Jesus wept for Lazarus. Also, Jesus knew that if He went to Lazarus immediately, He could heal him and keep Lazarus from dying. However, Jesus also knew that, if He did that, it would take away from God’s glory. You see, Jesus had already healed so many, Lazarus would just be “another number”, but raising him from the dead would be an awesome testament to the power and glory of God! Therefore, even though Jesus loved Lazarus and didn’t want him or his loved ones to suffer, Jesus had to wait two more days for Lazarus to die, so he may be raised from the dead, showing the glory of God. I’m sure it was emotionally tough, but Jesus was determined that God the Father’s will be done.

We face similar situations in our own lives, where we feel as we’re being led by the Holy Spirit to “wait” or “not help” in a situation where our human instinct is screaming at us to “go” or “get involved”. We must follow Jesus’ example and fully place our trust in God. If He is telling us to “wait” then He has better things in store for His ultimate plan. To disobey and follow our “human instinct” would be far more detrimental, so we must fight the urge, obey the Spirit, and trust in God alone; for His plan is infinitely better than what we could come up with, amen?!

John 10 - Willingly Given

2009-05-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Jesus said, “17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

Praise Jesus, what an awesome gift. Jesus did not inadvertently die, He CHOSE to die for our sins, He WILLINGLY sacrificed Himself for all of us. That is worth rejoicing! He knew the pain, heartache, suffering, torture that He would endure, yet still WILLINGLY chose to die for our sins, that we may be forgiven and saved. Hallelujah! Believe and be saved today, don’t throw such a precious gift away!

John 9 - Why?

2009-05-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

“ 1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

This man was blind from birth and everyone thought either he or his parents sinned to cause such an affliction, even Jesus’ disciples asked. But Jesus said “neither”, the affliction gave an opportunity for Jesus to show the glory of God. WOW.

The first part reminds me of how we can look at bad things in our life. We can question what we did to deserve it, how we could have done things differently to change the bad things, or if God is even listening at all. However, instead of focusing on the bad thing and/or its source, we should be focusing on how it can glorify God, for it may be part of His glorious plan, which is beyond our understanding. This is why we should glorify and praise God in ALL situations, not just the good times, for all things work in His plan and His understanding. Many, many times in my life things did not go as I planned and would be deemed a failure by man but, glory to God, they were EXACTLY as HE planned and they worked out even better than could be imagined. So, don’t fuss at the failures or bad things in your life, instead focus on the good that can come from it and glorify God in the process, for He will never forsake you. Amen?

John 8 - Check Yourself before You Wreck Yourself

2009-05-01T20:28:00.000-05:00

“ 1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Wow, what a very moving story. Aren’t we all a little like the crowd, quick to judge and point out other’s faults and sins, but (conveniently) forgetful of our own sins. That is exactly what happened here. The crowd, in their eagerness to trap Jesus, brought a woman who had sinned. They were ready to put her to death by stoning her, but Jesus quickly diffused the situation, not by judging the people, but by having them judge THEMSELVES. One pointed reminder to check within before judging others and the WHOLE CROWD left.

Let this be a lesson to us all. When we are quick to judge others and “look down our noses” at their actions, we must remember that ALL HAVE SINNED, which means us too. Instead of judging harshly (as the crowd was ready to do at first), we must also remember that we are sinners too. We must do our best to help the lost repent of their ways, as Jesus did for this woman, NOT judge and persecute them for it.

Jesus, thank you for your example and help me not to be quick to judge, but be very quick in showing You to the world. Help me remember that I too am a sinner and have been pardoned by You, and help me to share that with the lost, so they may be saved, instead of judging them. Amen.

John 7 - Living Water

2009-04-30T20:26:00.000-05:00

“37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

Jesus was surrounded by believers and non-believers alike, yet He offered them all the “living water” of the Holy Spirit. What a phenomenal gift to offer, and we all have access to the living water of the Holy Spirit, we only have to accept. It is the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, giving us guidance and divine intervention from God above. If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal savior, then don’t delay, do so today. Then drink from the fountain of living water for ever and ever. Thank you, Jesus and praise be to You for giving us the Holy Spirit and dwelling within us.

COMMENT UPDATE

2009-04-29T17:10:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, I know I got a little behind on my daily blog posts, but I believe I'm all caught up now. To avoid confusion, i posted the verses on the day they should have been posted, instead of dating them all today. I'm sorry for falling behind and I will do all i can to keep up. If you have any questions or comments, please post them. I look forward to hearing from you.

John 6 - God makes the Impossible Possible

2009-04-29T16:56:00.001-05:00

“ 5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”

I like how Jesus approached this situation. He already knew what He was going to do. He knew that He would take the five loaves of bread and two fish and feed thousands; however, Jesus asked Philip where to buy bread to see how Philip would react. I assume to see if Philip would see the task impossible or trust upon Jesus.

We are faced with similar obstacles every day. While we might not be trying to feed five thousand people, we face tasks that appear to us to be impossible. How do we react? Do we fret, worry and complain that the task is impossible, or do we turn it over to God, who makes the impossible possible?

Nothing is impossible for God, many of us know that. We know and believe the examples in the Bible, yet we don’t turn to God out of faith. It’s as if we are saying, “God, I know you parted the Red Sea, but I don’t think you can help me pay my car note”, that’s kind of silly isn’t it? But isn’t that exactly what we do? We fret and worry over that car note, instead of taking it to God and LEAVING it at His feet, FULLY TRUSTING and BELIEVING in His word.

So how will you react the next time God asks you to take on a seemingly impossible task? Will you fret or will you have faith?

John 5 - All You Have to do is Ask

2009-04-28T16:44:00.001-05:00

“1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

I love these verses, especially the end of 6. Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to get well?”. Jesus could have just healed the man without saying a word. He could have, but He didn’t. He ASKED the man if he wanted healing, Jesus gave the man a choice.

God also gives us choices everyday. He doesn’t press His will upon us, He gives us the option to choose to have His favor, His help. If we want God’s help, His guidance, His direction, then we should go to Him DAILY and ASK for it. He loves us and will be happy to give it to us, but only if we WANT it.

John 4 - Food for Thought

2009-04-27T16:32:00.001-05:00

“34"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Food is sustaining, empowering, a driving force. If you have no food, you will seek it, for when you are hungry it is hard to focus on anything else. Food also fuels the body, gets the blood flowing taking nutrients to our cells, organs, muscles, brains. It brings our bodies strength and energy to go on. In this verse, the sustaining, empowering, driving force for Jesus is doing God’s will and finishing the job given to Him by God. Is that how we look at God’s will? I must admit, many times I have gone about my day without seeking God’s will, praying for His direction, yearning to complete the tasks given to me by Him; yet on those same days, I ate. Like our desire for food, so should our desire for the Father’s will and work to be done. We must seek God’s will and purpose for our lives DAILY and work our best to get it done.

Lord, please forgive me for not focusing on Your will and work and please help guide me and empower me to complete the work You have for me, so Your will be done. Amen.

John 3 - This Verse Says It All

2009-04-26T16:25:00.001-05:00

“16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus loves us so much that He willingly died for our sins. We must accept Jesus, believe in Him, so we will not perish, but have life eternal with our Father in Heaven. Thank you God for loving us so much that You would sacrifice so much for our sake. We are not worthy, yet You love us still. All praises be to Your Holy Name.

John 2 - Jesus Loves Us

2009-04-25T16:10:00.001-05:00

“1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
Jesus knew what was to come. He knew that this miracle would be the beginning to His ministry, and He also knew the danger it would put Him in; therefore, He said, “my time has not yet come.” But even knowing all of this, He still did as His mother asked. That is the compassion and love that Jesus has for us. He was willing to grant His mother’s desire, even though it started the chain of events leading to His death. He loves us and has compassion for us, thank you Jesus, we don’t deserve You, yet You love us still.

John 1 - Jesus Christ, the Light

2009-04-24T15:56:00.000-05:00

“5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

This verse kept going over and over in my mind, so I had to speak about it. It is so simple, yet so profound. I think back to when I was not trying to live for Christ. Was He any less powerful or loving then, of course not. So why is it only now that I can see the goodness of Jesus? It is because I sought Him out. You see, just as in this verse, the light (Jesus) is always shining, even and especially in the darkness (the world), but the darkness has not understood it, therefore, cannot see or accept the light. You see, I could not “see” the light because I chose to ignore it, therefore, I couldn’t “understand” it. I couldn’t imagine how Jesus loved me enough to die for me, that no matter how many good deeds I did, I couldn’t pay the price for sin, only Jesus could, that I was a sinner and needed to confess and be forgiven; I couldn’t (wouldn’t) see the truth. The light was shining, as it is now, the only difference is my eyes are wide open and looking now, where before I was ignoring the light.

I know this might be confusing, but I will explain it as simply as possible. You will not find what you don’t look for; if you are not seeking, you will not find. Seek Jesus, follow His will, share Him with others. The whole world is searching for answers, lets give them the only one that counts, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ!

Luke 24 - Seeing is not always Believing

2009-04-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

“36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.”

Jesus had to repeatedly show sign after sign of His resurrection to His followers for them to believe. They had been with Him, heard His teachings, been told He would return, yet they were very skeptical when it happened. They were even trying to explain it off as nonsense or even a ghost.

Many of the people you try to minister to will do the same thing. They will try to explain miracles scientifically, dismiss scripture, ignore reason, even after you show them time and time again, Jesus is Lord. Sometimes they will even ask you to test God to prove He is there, DO NOT DO THIS. One, you should not test God. Two, even with a “sign” they still wouldn’t believe. The best thing you can do for them is to pray for their salvation, keep living a godly example for them to follow, and keep ministering to them. For God is working on them from their side too. I know it can be frustrating, but even one soul is worth it. Amen?

Luke 23 - Take Me As I Am

2009-04-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

“ 39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

We had an illustrated sermon on this a few weeks ago and these verses stood out to me again today. Here are two criminals, one on either side of Jesus, each with a choice presented to them. One chose to continue his life of evil and cast insults at Jesus; however, the other defended Jesus and sought Him. Hallelujah! Jesus forgave that criminal and accepted him! This shows that it is never too late, as long as you draw breath, to repent and seek Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t bring up the criminal’s past, point out his faults, show him his evil life of mistakes, no Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” No matter your past mistakes, your sins, your regrets, Jesus CAN and WILL forgive you, all you have to do is ask. If you haven’t yet, do so now BEFORE it is too late. Accept Jesus as your Savior, place Him as the Lord of your life, while you still have a choice, for we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

Luke 22 - God's Will Be Done

2009-04-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

Jesus said, “42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." This verse has always stuck with me. Jesus knew of the impending harm that was to befall Him, He knew why it must be done, yet He still asked God for another way. However, Jesus said, “yet not MY will, but YOURS be done”. Even though Jesus was not “thrilled” at what was to come (His torture and death), He knew that God’s will was best, and that is what He prayed for, God’s will be done.

Many times we pray for things to happen, but do we really look at them and see if they are in God’s will? I take my needs to the Father, present my concerns to Him, just as Jesus did, but I also try to follow Jesus’ example and say, “yet not my will, but yours be done”. For, even if I don’t understand it or particularly like it at the time, God knows what is best for us all. He loves us dearly and always acts in our best interest and on our behalf. Therefore, we must always seek His will and ask that it be done.

Many times I THOUGHT I knew what was best, but found out it was really more harmful to me in the long run; likewise, I thought certain situations were the worst thing in my life, yet they turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We can’t go wrong following God’s will; therefore, we can (and should) take our concerns to Him, but also ask for His will to be done. Amen?

Luke 21 - Giving for the Right Reasons

2009-04-20T13:01:00.001-05:00

“1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

I can picture the rich smugly looking at the poor widow putting in such a “meager” offering, in comparison to their gifts, and the widow feeling down and ashamed that she could not match their wealth. Oh, how glorious it must have been for her to hear Jesus’ voice saying she had given more than the others, for she gave out of poverty, she gave all she had for the Lord. How outraged and flustered do you think the rich were then?

You see, as this passage clearly illustrates, it’s not the amount of the offering in relation to others (or a collective whole) that matters, but in proportion to what you have to give. In fact, God doesn’t need our money, the giving is not about that, He wants our obedience and a relationship with us. You see, the widow gave from her heart, what she felt called to give. Her gift, though less than the others, was very special because it was all she had (100% of her money) AND her giving was in obedience to God. It appears that the “wealthy” were just giving to draw attention to themselves at how much they had given. It wasn’t about God, it was about their OWN pride, which is no reason to give. So when it comes time to give to the church, ministries, organizations, missionaries, etc., have the Holy Spirit search you and guide you on what to give, whether it be a lot or a little, if you follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and give out of love and obedience, for God’s will to be done, then the offering (no matter the size) will be exactly the right amount. Amen?

Luke 20

2009-04-19T12:57:00.000-05:00

“ 20Keeping a close watch on him (Jesus), they (teachers of the law – chief priests) sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
23He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24"Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"
25"Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
26They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.”

Notice, if you will, the method and web of deceit that the enemy is using at this point to stop Jesus. The chief priests sent SPIES to try to catch Jesus in a “slip up” so they could turn Him over to the governor. Ok, that alone is disturbing in many ways.

First, the chief priests, supposedly men of God, are TRYING to stop Jesus, simply because His TRUTH is stripping them of POWER; not that Jesus is spreading lies, or that He is desecrating God, but that His teachings are taking away their WORLDLY POWER over the people. The power that they covet so dearly, even above God’s will.

Next, they resort to sending SPIES to trap Jesus. Not just content with waiting on Jesus to snare Himself (as if He would, lol), but ACTIVELY sending spies out with the intent on twisting and confusing Jesus into a mistake. This is no ordinary fear that compels them, satan was working hard to stop Jesus.

Then, they were too afraid of Jesus to take care of things themselves, they planned to turn Jesus over to the governor. They weren’t going to take care of things using God’s authority, but man’s. I think there were two reasons behind this. First, satan was pulling the strings, so he knew that he couldn’t use God’s people to punish Jesus. Lastly, the priests KNEW (maybe deep down) that they were wrong, so they were afraid to take care of things themselves, choosing rather to use the governor to do their “dirty work”, what cowards.

Finally, Jesus knew what they were up to, and refused to be trapped. Instead He relied on God’s wisdom and answered in a method to thwart the spies and teach the crowd. When He did, the spies were QUIETED IMMEDIATELY. You see, satan realized that he couldn’t get the upper hand on Jesus and his minions (the spies in this case) were immediately defeated, shamed and afraid. Why? Because they could not goad Jesus into a “sparing match” to trip Himself up AND they could not stand in a battle of wits and will with the Son of God. So what did they do in fear? They became quiet!

This entire confrontation is a huge lesson for us to learn and apply in our daily lives. While you are out in the world as children of God, satan will be there to try to trip you up. While you are spreading the word of God’s goodness, others will try to question you, cause you to stumble, tangle your words to shame you and make you feel like a fool for following Jesus. If you let pride get in the way (these people are questioning ME, I’ll show them) there could be trouble. However, if you allow the Holy Spirit to prompt you, then the situation can quickly turn from a “grudge match” into an opportunity to witness and minister to people, as Jesus did. Now, we don’t have all of the answers or the authority that Jesus did, but WE DO have Jesus. I’m not saying to scream challenges to everyone from the corners of the streets, but be willing and confident in the Lord our God, for He can make the impossible possible. Amen?

Luke 19

2009-04-18T16:03:00.000-05:00

“28After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "
32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"
34They replied, "The Lord needs it."
35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.

I have heard this story many times, but it just “hit” me today of the significance of the giving of the colt. I had known it was to fulfill prophecy, but I had never really noticed the faith and obedience of the owners of the colt. You see, the owners of the colt did baulk, argue, or even try to stop the disciples, they just asked “why”, when the response came, “The Lord needs it”, then it was done, no more questions, no objections, take the colt for the Lord. How awesome is that?!

Imagine that a group of people walked up to your car and started to get in it and take off. During that you walk up to them and ask, “Why are you taking my car?” they respond, “The Lord needs it.” What would you say? Even if the Holy Spirit let you know that it was the right thing to do, would you do it?

Now I’m not suggesting letting everyone run off with your property, rather for us not to become so attached to our things that we don’t allow them to be used for the Lord. Or even worse, that we “love” our stuff so much and we ignore the Holy Spirit and don’t give as we are told. What if the owners of the colt did that? We can’t let our stuff take precedence over the Lord’s will. This earth, and all the stuff in it, are only temporary. We are just passing through. Our real treasures are in Heaven with the Lord, so no need to get so attached to our things that we interfere with the blessings of the Lord.

There are many times that others have helped me out saying, “the Lord told me to give this to you”, as have I done the same, but sadly not every time I was prompted, sometimes I was selfish and kept someone from being blessed by the Lord. I don’t want to do that ever again.

Lord, please help me to listen to your promptings and be like the colt owners, to do Your will to be a blessing to others and show them Your love, mercy, and goodness. Amen.

Luke 18 - The Parable of the Persistent Widow

2009-04-17T09:39:00.001-05:00

“1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

What an awesome parable about persistence and how God moves and blesses us. First off, the widow was persistent in her efforts. Even though, time and time again, she did not receive what she was seeking and needing, she would not give up. She kept at the ungodly judge and he relented, not for her well being, but for his own desires.

This also shows us how God can use anyone, even the non-believers, to take care of His children. Even though the judge did not fear God, God used the judge’s selfishness to take care of the widow. So, since the widow believed and was persistent, God granted her relief, answered her prayers, and all through a seemingly impossible source, and ungodly judge.

This is a huge lesson to us all. Pray and talk with God, build a relationship with Him, be honest, have faith, and be persistent in your prayers, for God will not forsake you, but will deliver you, for we are His children and He wants the very best for us. He makes the impossible possible. So be ready to receive His blessings and be a blessing for Him. If He can use the ungodly to answer prayers, how much more could He use His own children AND how much more eager should WE be to be a part of it. Amen?

Luke 17 - The Warning about Sin

2009-04-17T09:28:00.000-05:00

“ 1Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3So watch yourselves…"

We all have sinned and as Jesus said, there will be things that come about to cause us to sin; HOWEVER, we should NOT be the cause of sin to others. We have to watch our steps daily and be careful not to be the cause of other’s sin. We can influence others unintentionally to sin, while we were trying to help them, so we must be on guard and very mindful of our actions, set apart to a higher standard, not for piety but to show the glory of God. We do this by centering our focus on God, turning over control of our lives to Him, and being fully dependent on Him; therefore, when we interact with others, God shines through to them. We do not influence them to sin, rather we show them the grace and love of the Father.

Luke 16 - The Rich Man and Lazarus

2009-04-17T09:18:00.000-05:00

“ 19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[c] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

This story tells a lot about human nature. We are sometimes so blinded by our own desires and ambitions that we will not see the truth. Just as the children of Israel saw God’s miracles daily, but still easily lost faith, so too do we see God’s goodness and mercy, but refuse to see or listen. So too are our lost friends, who are waiting on a miraculous sign, when the truth is all around them. We tend to think if they can just see one miracle from God then they would repent and believe, but as the story above explains, if they won’t see the truth from the teachings, then the miracle wouldn’t bring them any closer either; they would just want to see another and another and another. The best thing we can do is witness to them, show them the truth, and pray for them to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord. Amen?

Luke 15 - The Parable of the Lost Coin

2009-04-17T09:08:00.000-05:00

“8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Doesn’t the parable of the lost money bring home the point? It is something we all can relate to even today. Just think about it, you just knew you had a $100 bill but, when you went to get it, you couldn’t find it. What would you do? You would tear the place apart looking for it. At this point, you’re not worried about the rest of your money, it’s safe, but the most important thing is finding that $100 bill. Oh, and when you do, how happy and relieved you feel. How excited and thankful you are! That is the same way God feels when one of the lost find and accept Jesus Christ and come home. If you are one of the lost coins, come home today, there will be much rejoicing! If you are one of the saved coins, rejoice (as all of Heaven does) when the lost come home. It is not a time to be bitter and jealous of the attention the newly saved receives, be joyful and thankful that your new found brother or sister has accepted our Lord and Savior. Amen?

Luke 14 - The Parable of the Great Banquet

2009-04-13T22:54:00.000-05:00

“15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "

What a wonderful explanation of Jesus’ life to me. God offered salvation, through Jesus, to the chosen Jews, in the parable, the many wealthy guests. They were too busy with their lives and their interests (possibly established religion) to attend the banquet (listen to Jesus). So then the owner of the house (God) ordered the servant to bring everyone who would come (all who would listen and attend), in the parable, the less fortunate, and they would benefit from the banquet the master prepared, but the original invited guests would not taste the banquet (enter Heaven), for they had rejected God and His salvation for us through Jesus Christ, and were too busy for Him.

Don’t be too busy, make time for God, establish a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ and, when the time comes, dine in Heaven with the Lord forever. Amen?

Luke 13 - The Narrow Door

2009-04-12T22:48:00.001-05:00

“22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
26"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'
27"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' 28"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."

Jesus is speaking of the “narrow door”, the “path less taken”, that is salvation and Heaven. Though the door is narrow, many will try to enter once they face Judgment; however, as the verses say, many will not enter and will be cast out. They will say how they “knew” Jesus, that is, they had “heard” of Him, but He will not know them. He did not know them because they never established a RELATIONSHIP with Him. Simply KNOWING of Jesus is NOT ENOUGH, you must have a personal relationship with Him, accept Him into your heart and life, and live for Him. Then you can be greeted and allowed through the narrow door as a known friend and allowed into the glorious Kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 12 - Acknowledge Him!!!

2009-04-11T20:32:00.001-05:00

Jesus says, 8"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.”

If you choose to acknowledge Jesus, then you will be acknowledged BY Him in Heaven; however, if you are “too embarrassed” or “ashamed” to acknowledge Jesus in front of others, then you will NOT be acknowledged before Him in Heaven. What powerful verses to digest. Are you ashamed of Jesus? Many times we will be tested, by the world, the enemy and others. You will have a choice to make, a very important one, so choose wisely. We must stand proud, hold our head up high and worship the King of kings, unashamed and unafraid, for if we do, He will gladly do the same for us before His Father on the Day of Judgment. Amen? Thank you, Jesus, You are so worthy of praise.

Luke 11 - Ask, Seek, Knock - God Answers All Prayers

2009-04-10T07:58:00.000-05:00

Jesus says in verses 9-10, 9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” These are very powerful verses to me, you will also find them in Matthew 7:7-8; in fact, I have a plaque with the first verse on it in my living room, to serve as a reminder of God’s goodness. So lets examine them.

First, “Ask and it will be given to you”, notice Jesus didn’t say, “ask and God will think about it” or “ask and ‘we’ll see’”, but “ask and it WILL be given”, “for EVERYONE who asks receives”. Thank the Lord! Not just some people or those who are worthy, but EVERYONE who asks receives.

Next, “seek and you will find”, NOT “seek and you might find” or “seek and maybe you’ll find it”, no Jesus said, “he who seeks FINDS”. Praise the Lord! If you seek, you will find. Period.

Finally, “knock and the door will be opened to you”, NOT “knock and someone might answer” or “knock and if the door doesn’t open, give up”. Jesus said, “to him who knocks, the door WILL BE OPENED.” Bless the Lord! The door will be opened to THOSE WHO KNOCK. No knock, you may not have the door opened, BUT if you knock IT WILL BE OPENED to you. Awesome!

These verses can be interpreted in many ways, but I will address two of the main ways that I PERSONALLY look at them, salvation and prayer.

Addressing salvation: ask and receive, seek and find, knock and the door will be opened. ANYONE who asks for salvation from Jesus receives it, ANYONE who seeks Jesus will find Him, EVERYONE who knocks on the door will be received, it will be opened to them. What an awesome God we serve! It doesn’t matter where you came from, who your parents are, how much or little money you have, what race, social class, or education you have, whether you’re worthy or not; ANY and EVERYONE who seeks salvation from Jesus Christ will get it! As Pastor Rusty would say, “that’s shouting ground”. Thank you God for Your mercy, graciousness, and love.

Now, concerning prayer, I believe the same principles apply. If you ask you will receive. God answers ALL prayers. Others will say that “sometimes the answer is ‘no’,” but I don’t believe that for a minute. God answers ALL prayers and He answers them in OUR BEST INTEREST. That is, with our spiritual well-being in mind. To that, in addition to ASKING, we have to SEEK as well. This requires an effort on our part. We don’t just pray and leave it at that, we have to SEEK God’s guidance and will in the matter, we have to give an effort, not just wait. This may require us to do some work, such as KNOCK on the door of opportunity, if it is in God’s will. Therefore, the whole picture is, we ASK in prayer, SEEK God’s will and direction, and KNOCK (do the work) to allow God’s will to enter and work through us.

You might say, “Well, Rick, I asked for a million dollars, I sought a way to get it, and I knocked on the door by buying a lottery ticket and I still didn’t get squat”. Well let’s look at that.

Remember, I said God answers ALL prayers in YOUR best interest. Why did you want the money? To pay off some bills, to buy some things you like, to not to have to worry about anything, maybe even to give to the church and missionaries? The main thing you were SEEKING with the million dollars was to have the security of all of your problems being solved, but you ALREADY have that, and SO MUCH MORE, with God; therefore, your prayer was already answered!

You see, it could be, with the money, you would rely on IT, be comforted and secured by IT, use IT to solve your problems, essentially the money would become your god. You would put your faith in it, not in the one true God and that would be detrimental to your eternal soul. So God did answer your prayer, in your best interest, and offered HIMSELF to provide for you, better than the money could. God is already there to help provide for you, to comfort you, to help carry your burden, and provide for His children AND (unlike the money) He saves your soul.

You asked and received, you sought and found, you knocked and God opened the door. PERIOD. Besides, the money would eventually run out but, praise the Lord, God never does. He is the same yesterday, as He is today, as He will be tomorrow and He loves us enough to send His son to die for our sins, to pay the price of our transgressions, so we may be forgiven and live with Him for ever and ever. No amount of cash can buy you something of that magnitude. Amen?

Luke 10 - To God be the Glory

2009-04-09T08:24:00.001-05:00

Though the parable of the good Samaritan is one of my very favorites, I feel compelled to speak on these verses today. “ 17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 18He (Jesus) replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

The seventy-two whom Jesus sent out to spread the Good News returned to Him full of joy and astonishment that they could drive out the demons in Jesus’ name. They had to be thinking, “wow, what awesome power Jesus has given us” or “how awesome and divine is Jesus, that we can drive out demons in His name”. They had to be overjoyed, because what Jesus sent them to do, they were accomplishing! They came back with a “praise report”, astonished and pleased that they were performing well.

To this, Jesus responded not shocked but “matter-of-factly”, of course. He knew, and told them, that He had given them the authority to overcome ALL the power of the enemy, not some, not most, but ALL. Praise Jesus, He equips us properly for the battles we must face. He didn’t need the “good reports” from the seventy-two, for Jesus already knew it was possible, for He had equipped them well; as we are equipped also. God never sends us into something without first giving us all we need to accomplish His goal. We must trust in Him, seek His will, do His bidding, and we will overcome; for God has given us the power to conquer the enemy, if we will only trust in Him and USE it.

However, as Jesus said in verse 20, we should not focus on the power God has bestowed upon us in His Son Jesus’ name, but be more elated that our name is in the Book of Life in Heaven. That, by Jesus’ sacrifice, we are saved and victorious. Sure, the power of God is astonishing, but when we focus solely on that, we tend to focus on what WE are accomplishing, then we forget to give God the glory. Use the gifts God gave you to accomplish His will and His plan for your life, to further His Kingdom; but never forget, the ultimate rejoicing is that we are SAVED by Jesus Christ and will be with Him and our Heavenly Father forever and ever. All praise be to God, for He is good, all the time. Amen?

Luke 9 - Who's the Greatest

2009-04-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

“ 46An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest."

What an awesome lesson to be learned. We, like the disciples, often start looking for personal glory, even as we do God’s work. We get frustrated and aggravated at those doing little to help further the Kingdom of God, then we start to believe ourselves “above” them, because we “do so much” for the church and others. However, this is not so. At that point, we are focusing on our “personal glory” not the glory of God, just as the disciples were doing at this point; wanting to know “who was the greatest”, essentially who was doing the best work.

Jesus aptly answered them by showing them that the “least” among them (the one who was not out for personal glory but humbled to give God the glory) was the greatest. So remember, as in the hymn, “to God be the glory, great things HE has done”. God may use you as a conduit for His miracles, but He is always in control. It is when we forget this and start believing WE are great that we falter and fail, hurting many in the process. Never forget to give credit where credit is due, and God deserves all of our praise for He is worthy and good. Amen?

Luke 8 - Stormy Waters?

2009-04-07T23:10:00.000-05:00

“ 22One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25"Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Another great lesson in faith. These men who were with Jesus were His disciples, not just an ordinary crowd. They walked and talked with Jesus on a daily basis, they saw the miracles Jesus performed, they heard His teachings of God, yet when the storm came, they quickly lost faith. But before you condemn them, let’s look at our own lives as well.

There are countless times that Jesus has performed miracles in my life, yet when trouble hits, I tend to worry. I know that God will take care of me, He has promised to never forsake me, yet I loose faith. However, as God is teaching me, when I feel myself faltering, feel the “weight of the world” crashing down, I now turn to my Heavenly Father and spend some “face time” in prayer with Him. I try to do what is said in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It’s that peace that God grants me that overcomes fear and boosts my faith. Just as Jesus calmed the storm for the disciples, so can He calm the storm in your life. You simply have to trust in Him, place your faith in Him, not the world. Amen?

Luke 7 - The Faith of the Centurion

2009-04-06T23:09:00.000-05:00

“ 1When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”

What an awesome testament of faith! It was not because of WHO the Centurion was, not because of his GOOD DEEDS, not because of his WEALTH or even his SOCIAL STATUS, it was simply HIS FAITH that Jesus answered his prayer! The Centurion didn’t ask Jesus to come to his servant and heal, he BELIEVED in FAITH that if Jesus said it was done, then it would BE DONE. Because of that, Jesus praised the Centurion for his faith, saying that “I have not found such great faith even in Israel”, what an honor! Would Jesus say that of us?

To tell you the truth, I have not always had such faith. Many times I would pray and walk away thinking, “I hope God has heard me” or “I hope God will answer my prayer”, but you see that was not faith like the Centurion had, he KNEW his servant would be healed; not wondered, wished or even hoped, but KNEW.

Forgive me God for my lack of faith, you have always taken care of me and have said that You would NEVER forsake me. Please help me to have faith like the Centurion, and trust in You more. Amen.

Luke 6 - The Eye of Scrutiny

2009-04-05T23:51:00.000-05:00

Jesus said, 37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Wow, what a message! How quick we are to judge others, to point out their failures and every fault, BUT somewhere along the line, we fail to look at ourselves with that same scrutiny. We tend to take OTHERS’ actions and blame them on the PERSON. “well, she should know better than that, she’s not really trying, she doesn’t care”. However, when the SAME instance happens to US, we blame the CIRCUMSTANCE. “I tried my best but NO ONE could have done it, if I had MORE HELP, MORE TIME, or a BETTER SYSTEM, I could have made it happen”. Hmm, any of this sound familiar?

That is the cycle we have to break. As the scripture says, we will be measured by the measure we use. If we give freely, forgive easily, judge lightly, then we too will be given to freely, forgiven easily and judged lightly. However, if we are quick to condemn, stingy with our blessings, and refuse to forgive, then we too will be condemned, unforgiven and left wanting.

So the next time you see those in need, instead of judging and scrutinizing their actions, honestly put yourself in their position and lend a helping hand, treat them how YOU would want to be treated, NOT how you THINK they should be. And, the next time you are in a bad situation, before you start “explaining” off the circumstances, examine the situation to see if you are looking for a “pity party” or if you could have done something better. We ALL make mistakes, NO ONE but Jesus was perfect. The more we realize that, the better we can all get a long, join together, and focus on HIM, not on us. Amen?

Luke 5 - Defeat vs. Success, Jesus is the Difference

2009-04-04T23:15:00.000-05:00

“4When he (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

Isn’t that a great lesson in life, how to trust in Jesus, what a great example that Simon gives to us. They have been working hard all night, and had no success. They were tired, frustrated, ready to call it quits and accept defeat, to go home and rest. The last thing they wanted to do was to go back out to do more work with no results. BUT, because Jesus told him to, Simon went back out and lowered the nets. Not because he was expecting different results (he had fished all night with nothing to show for it), but because of his faith in Jesus.

“6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.”

Praise the Lord, because of his faith, Simon witnessed a miracle that day. He had been trying all night to catch fish, failing time and time again, until finally, tired, broken, he turned to trust in Jesus. Then when Simon tried again, WITH Jesus, he had so much success that the fish filled, not one, but TWO boats to the point of sinking.

You see, Simon was trying to fish his OWN way, with nothing to show for it but frustration and weariness. BUT when Simon listened to Jesus, did things the way the Jesus told him, trusted and followed Jesus’ plan, without question and full of faith, he was so successful that his one boat couldn’t hold all of the fish (blessings).

Maybe you are facing defeat, such as Simon was. You have been trying and trying but not having success. We all have faced that, I have many times over; however, I’m here to tell you, if you will put your trust in Jesus, let Him lead the way, you will succeed in His plan, His will; and when you do, it won’t be a “small measure of success”, it will be an overflowing fountain so large that you can’t contain it! Praise the Lord. So align yourself with Jesus’, seek God’s will and plan, forget the failures of the past and move forward in faith, then taste sweet success that can only come from the Lord, then give Him all the praise and glory for the victory, for He deserves it and much more. Amen?

Luke 4 - Blessing Thief or God's Champion?

2009-04-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

“42At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." 44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”

These verses spoke volumes to me today. The people were begging Jesus to stay, in my opinion, implying that there was more that they needed from Him. However, Jesus was called to preach the word of God all over Judea, not just that one town. Even though there might have been more people to help, God had a greater need for Jesus in other towns as well.

This is a perfect example to us. It is so easy to get caught up in helping people. You see everyone hurting, you want to do all you can, you have compassion for their pain, maybe you have experienced the same; however, if God has a greater plan for you, then you must move on.

“Wait a second! Are you saying that God wants us to desert the needy?” No that is NOT what I’m saying. I’m saying this, you cannot help every single person in the world by yourself, nor do I believe one person is called to do that. If you try, three things can easily happen.
1. You can get burned out, quickly. By trying to help everyone, you easily get discouraged, being of no help to anyone. The task becomes overwhelming and you soon loose hope, for you are trying to do it all alone. Then, when you are gone, who will care for the people? You centered it around you alone, so without you, there is no one left to help.
2. You steal someone else’s blessing. That’s right, believe it or not, the world does not revolve around you. God has a network of millions of Christians, all who should be following the same commands. If you try to help everyone around you, then you keep other Christians from being able to help, who might have been more able and qualified than you. Because of your actions, they are not helping; therefore, you interfered and stole the blessings that God had for them and for the people needing help.
3. You interfere with God’s ultimate plan. Yes, in my opinion, at this point, you are more of a detriment to God’s plan that an asset. True, you have good intentions, but by not following God’s ultimate plan for you, by staying and attempting to help everyone, you are saying, “I know better than God”, which we don’t. Also, you will not arrive at the place God needs you the most. What if Jesus stayed in Simon’s hometown and that was the end of the story, no sacrifice, no resurrection, no price for our sins. I’m sure He wanted to stay and help, but He knew that God’s ultimate plan was more important and I thank God and Jesus that He moved on, or we all would have missed out on Salvation.

To clear up any confusion, let me tell you a story that might explain. You have a cart full of apples that you are supposed to take to an orphanage in a town down the road. Along the way there are two other towns before the orphanage. In the first town you stop and see many hungry people, so you give out your entire load of apples, except for one. Now you continue on to the next town. There are also many hungry people here, but you only have one apple left, so you have nothing to give. They ALL go hungry. Finally, you get to the orphanage to deliver the ONE apple. It is not enough, and the orphans go hungry as well. You see, by feeding EVERYONE in the first town, you had nothing to bless the second town with AND you had nothing to deliver to the orphans, which was your goal. If you had given out SOME in the first town, you could have given SOME MORE, in the second town, and STILL HAD ENOUGH to feed the orphans. Which way helped the most people? Which one appears to follow God’s ultimate plan?

Now, I am NOT SAYING don’t help anyone or refuse help saying, “someone else will take care of it, I don’t want to steal their blessing” and then you do NOTHING. I am simply saying, help where you can, actively seek God’s place for you in this world, then stick to the plan to the end. If you feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to help, then by all means HELP, but don’t feel obligated to help everyone, especially if you’re not called to do so, because you may end up helping NO ONE and serve as a hindrance to God’s plan.

“Well, how do I know God’s plan? How do I know if He wants me to move on? How do I know that He didn’t call me to help all of these people?” Let me answer these questions with this. How do you know what your parents want from you? How do you know what your boss needs? How do you know what your leaders expect? By asking! The same applies to God, our Heavenly Father. You seek God’s will by having a relationship with Him. Spend time in His Word, The Holy Bible, and in prayer (communication) with Him every day. When you develop a RELATIONSHIP (two way street, not one way phone call) with God, then He can show you His will and plan for you. Isaiah 48:17 “This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go’.”

God is waiting on you to seek Him and discover the plan and many blessings He has in store for you and others, isn’t it time that you seek Him NOW and discover that plan? Jesus did and, praise be to Him, I am saved because He stuck to God’s plan and put God’s will above His own!

Luke 3 - Good Fruit or Bad Fruit?

2009-04-02T12:10:00.003-05:00

John the Baptist said, “9The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

What a word of warning to us all. We are to produce GOOD fruit. It is not enough that we exist (trees standing in a forest), not enough just to produce any fruit (bad thing, sinful spirits, griping, complaining, misleading, etc.), but we must produce GOOD fruit (good, godly things, disciples, further the Kingdom of God). For a tree’s (person’s) goodness or badness can be determined by the fruit it produces, Matthew 12:33 “33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”

So you want to know how you are doing? Or you want to know if other’s are sincere and giving good, godly advice? Look to the fruit. Luke 6:43, “43"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.” Therefore, if what you or others are producing it good fruit, then you are a good tree. Likewise, if you or others are producing bad fruit, then you are a bad tree.

No fruit produced? This can be just as bad as producing bad fruit. True, you are not producing bad fruit to spoil the world; however, you are not producing good fruit to make it better either. Indecision is still a decision, inaction is still an action. As John says, “every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” He doesn’t say, “every tree that produces BAD fruit”, he says, “every tree that does not PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT”.

As was said, how you are living can be determined by your fruit. So take time now to assess yourself, are you producing good fruit? If not, it’s not too late. Unlike a tree, we have the ability to change immediately and start producing good fruit. Jesus Christ died for us to give us that chance. Don’t let your opportunity pass you by, accept Him as your Risen Savior, RIGHT NOW, and start producing good fruit. Make no mistake, there will be a day of judgment, for all people, Christian and non-Christian alike! Woe be to the trees (people) who didn’t produce good fruit, for they “will be cut down and thrown into the fire”. Don’t be one of them, the choice is yours alone!

Luke 2 - Simply Stepping Stones

2009-04-01T23:10:00.000-05:00

“6While they were there, the time came for the baby (Jesus) to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Isn’t this how life appears to us sometimes? Nothing works out as WE plan. I am sure that Mary and Joseph planned for Jesus to be born in a “proper” surrounding, in their home where everything was ready to take care of Him and bring Him into this world on the “right foot”. However, that is not how it was.

Because of the census enacted by Caesar Augustus, Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem, during the last part of Mary’s pregnancy, far away from the comforts of home. They had to endure what could only be a difficult journey, to arrive in Bethlehem, ready to deliver a baby, but have no proper place to do so, there was no room in the inn. Now the time has come, their only choice was to give birth to Jesus, the King of Kings, and wrap Him in rags and place Him in a manger. I’m sure this was as far from Mary and Joseph’s original plan for Jesus’ birth as possible; however, it was exactly as God had planned.

It was exactly what needed to happen to set the stage for the rest of Jesus’ life, how different could every outcome have been if this one step was eliminated? No one knows, except for God, how different everything could have been, had Jesus been born at home in Nazareth instead of in Bethlehem.

This is exactly how it is with our lives. We plan and work on a plan to make everything “perfect” in our lives, but sometimes the world comes crashing down and cuts us short. The worst thing imaginable happens and totally destroys our plans, our “good intentions”. However, just as God was watching over Joseph, Mary and Jesus, He is watching over our lives. He knows infinitely more than we do what is best for our lives. He doesn’t work in the “short-term” fixes, as much as, He works in the “long-term” solutions. What we see as “stumbling blocks” and “dead-ends”, God sees as “opportunities” and “new directions”.

So take comfort in knowing that your Heavenly Father is in control. That, regardless of the current outlook to our eyes, He is able to overcome any and everything and use it for His glory and His purpose. The reason we have our “failures” is to allow God to work through us for His plan to be revealed and to keep us from heading in the wrong direction, away from Him. So, if you haven’t done so, take time now to speak with God, through prayer. Seek His will in your life, seek His direction and plan. Don’t focus on your current situation of seemingly “failures”, for they are just necessary, temporary “stepping stones” to guide you along the path of God’s extraordinary plan. Let Him take control and you will see, His plan is infinitely more rewarding, infinitely more fulfilling that we could ever imagine. And the troubles we see now were necessary to guide us to where He needs to us to bless us the most. Amen?

Luke 1 - GROW, KNOW, SHOW and FLOW

2009-03-31T13:22:00.002-05:00

Luke 1. In this chapter, there are many miraculous things revolving around prophecy, faith and praise; however one verse stood out to me above the others. “80And the child (John the Baptist) grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.”

What an amazing statement of faith and life! First, John had to GROW. John grew, both physically and spiritually. He didn’t remain the same, but he grew! God could not use him fully as he was, so he had to GROW to be fully utilized by God.

Next, he had to KNOW. John “became strong in the spirit”. Earlier in this chapter, the angel Gabriel said John would be born with the Holy Spirit, but it is very important that it is mentioned here that, even though John was born with the Holy Spirit, he became even stronger in the spirit. Not had some spirit, or thought about the spirit, he became STRONG in the SPIRIT. This strength required knowledge, growth, discipline and seeking personal relationship with God, through prayer and study.

Then, John had to FLOW. “he lived in the desert”. This was a man who had the Holy Spirit from birth and grew stronger in the Spirit, so why did he live in a dessert? I believe, as was the focus of Sunday’s service, that he was in the dessert, facing the harsh trials, so he would grow even stronger and learn to rely on God for his strength and survival. How do you temper steel, by burning it in the fire to rid it of impurities so only the best is left. Could John have grown stronger in the spirit without trials? I think not.

So he had to endure the trials, follow God’s plan, as a leaf floating on a river. The leaf doesn’t try to see the whole course from beginning to end, it doesn’t worry about the rocks or blockades in the way, it doesn’t even have the power to move on its own, it simply goes with the FLOW, using the river to guide and direct its movements, confident that the river will direct the best path, as long as the leaf stays in the river. Such should be our walk with God; we are the leaf and He is the guiding, powerful river.

Finally, John had to SHOW. He was in the dessert “until he appeared publicly to Israel”. This is the final step, God gave him time to mature, to grow, placed him in the dessert to temper his faith and live centered around growing in the Holy Spirit, so he could then appear publically for the purpose that God had in store for him. It was time to SHOW, to accomplish the purpose that God had planned for him. John could not reach Israel by staying in the dessert, to do so he had to be willing and faithful enough to step out and SHOW the glory of God and complete the task.

Wow, what a lesson in the Lord. God could have directly placed John in front of Israel but instead gave him time to GROW, time to KNOW and become strong in the spirit, to FLOW and temper in the dessert, to be fully trained, tested and ready to SHOW and conquer the task at hand.

Where are you at in your walk with God?

You might be at the beginning, the GROW stage, regardless of how long you have been a Christian. You might not feel as if God has something in store for you, you might feel useless or unneeded; however, God has blessed us all with gifts to use for His purpose, His plan; you wouldn’t be here otherwise. So, don’t just sit there, this is the perfect time to GROW. Grow in your spiritual life and seek a personal relationship with God, He is waiting on you.

You might be at the KNOW stage. That is, you have established a personal relationship with God, but it’s not as strong as you would like it to be. If so, this is a perfect time to remedy that. You can gain knowledge and deepen your relationship with the Lord by spending time in prayer, reading the Bible, and learning from other mature Christians. You wouldn’t take a final test without studying would you? If so, you couldn’t be expecting great results. Therefore, how can you expect to be ready for the “final test” with God’s purpose for you without first gaining the knowledge necessary? Think about it.

It’s possible you are at the FLOW stage. You might feel that you have been following God’s will, prayed and studied and know you are where you should be; however, things look bleak, you’re in a dessert! This is a very tough time, but it is TEMPORARY. You are at this point to temper your spiritual life, to hone your faith and belief. This is the final “practice test” before the real thing. You might be feeling like its too tough, that you made a mistake, that you should turn back, that God has forgotten about you; these are all from the enemy.

Satan is trying to throw everything he has at you to get you to quit, for he knows you are so close to the blessing God has in store for you. Satan knows that if he gets you to quit now, he has won. He also knows that if you make it through this point, he has lost you and God has gained another powerful warrior for the kingdom of Heaven. It’s the enemy’s last chance to stop you, so endure, you are almost there. God will never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5), so now is not the time to quit, it’s the time to increase your efforts and establish an even stronger relationship with God. Stay in the river of His righteousness and go with the flow, you will be rewarded!

Finally you might be at the SHOW stage. This is also a tough one to conquer, now it’s “show time”. You have grown, studied, endured, and now it is time for the “final exam”, now it is time to put your best foot forward, but there might be anxiety and fear to perform. Now, all of a sudden, the dessert doesn’t look so bad, at least you know what to expect, right? You might be thinking “what if I fail? What if I can’t do it? What if I’m not strong enough?”. To answer those, YOU will fail, YOU can’t do it, YOU aren’t strong enough, and that is the point, YOU alone can’t, but GOD most certainly can.

That is what all of the training was for, for you to put your faith and trust in GOD, for Him to move THROUGH you. Don’t stumble at the finish line by relying on yourself, break through the finish line with God at the forefront. Keep your focus on God and His will, never forget to give Him the glory and the praise, and you will do just fine. You will pass the “final exam” and ace it with flying colors, because that has been God’s plan all along, to train and prepare you to succeed!

God loves us like no other, He wants us to succeed, He prepares and equips us with all we need, we MUST follow Him and share His glory with others. There is a whole lost and dying world searching for the answer, and it is up to us to allow God to help us reach them. So get out there and GROW, KNOW, FLOW, and SHOW, it is the least we can do for God, who has given us everything. Amen?!

Mark 16 - Don't Worry

2009-03-30T12:50:00.001-05:00

“1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.”

What an awesome story and testament to faith. Here we have a group of people, going to do something good, something they felt necessary, something out of love, they were going to anoint Jesus. They gathered their things and went, not second guessing themselves, forging forward in spite of the circumstances, to finish the job. However, in the middle of their journey (on their way to the tomb), doubt and fear arose. How can we reach Jesus in the tomb? How are we to move the stone? This is where many would turn back. It’s a seemingly insurmountable task. You might even say, “well, we tried, we meant well, but it’s impossible, so let’s turn back”. But they carried on! They didn’t let the despair of the moment deter their task at hand. And what did they find when they reached the tomb? They found the stone rolled away! Praise God! What they were worried about, what they thought might be an insurmountable stumbling block was not even a problem, for God had already taken care of it!

Like this story, so too can it be in our lives. When we start a journey for God, we generally are so full of hope and excitement; however, in the middle, the enemy places seeds of doubt, stumbling blocks in our way. We begin to worry so much about what is to come that we lose focus on the task at hand. We take our eyes off of God and succumb to the despair of the world. If we let it, the worry can overcome us and cause us to give up or turn back. However, if we are following the will of God, focus on Him instead of our problems, take our concerns to Him instead of worrying about the outcome; I’m here to tell you, He has already anticipated the problems we will face, made preparations and, if we will continue in faith, has ALREADY taken care of them! Hallelujah!

So when you are facing insurmountable odds, when you feel tired and broken, when a heavy spirit of worry has overcome you and you feel like all is lost, remember this story and what the Bible says in Philippians 4, “6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Then hold your head up high, sons and daughters of Christ, and know that God is with you, watching you, keeping you and has already taken care of your needs. For He loves you like no other and doesn’t want you to worry, but to trust in Him!

Mark 15 - One of the Crowd?

2009-03-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

12"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13"Crucify him!" they shouted.
14"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Here we have Pilate, who knows that Jesus has done no wrong, who doesn’t believe Jesus should be punished, who questions the crowd to give them a chance to do the right thing, but in the end, goes along with the crowd to satisfy them. What a lesson we can learn from Pilate.

Many times in our lives, we know what is right, we feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we know from the teachings of the Bible what should be done, yet we do the wrong thing to pacify our friends and family (the crowd) for it appears to be the easiest road to follow. We don’t want to be made fun of, be ridiculed, be outcast or alone, so we go with the crowd; however, as in this instance, it can have serious repercussions; this instance led Jesus to His death.

Now I know you’re thinking, for Jesus to be sacrificed for our sins, this had to happen. However, I believe, that if Pilate refused, there would have been another to sentence Jesus, for God’s will be done. But it wouldn’t have been Pilate “pulling the trigger”, so to speak. Just as with Judas and the betrayal and the curse upon him, it had to be done for the events to take place, but he had a choice, it didn’t have to be him to betray Jesus. He could have refused and it would have been another. Then, who knows, it could have been Judas preaching the Gospel after Jesus’ resurrection, instead of hanging from a tree, killed by suicide.

The point is, we all have a choice to follow God’s will, what is right. If the events MUST come to pass, they will; however, we don’t have to be the one on the wrong side of them. We must take a stand for God, regardless of the seemingly hopeless outcome, for God is good and He will protect and provide.

So you’re family may brand you “crazy”, your friends may desert you, not a pretty picture in itself, BUT God never leave you and He will bless you more abundantly that you could ever imagine for being faithful to His will. Think about it in the long term, which would you prefer, some friends thinking you “cool” for going along with them (those who may or may not be with you next week), or your Heavenly Father being pleased with your obedience to Him (who will be with you always, for ever and ever). Ridicule by others kind of pales in comparison, doesn’t it? To be “cool” now and burn for eternity, or be an “oddball” now and be blessed, loved and cared for, for eternity.

Mark 14 - Heal the World, not a One Person Job!

2009-03-28T23:24:00.000-05:00

“3While he (Jesus) was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

6"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

The woman, led by God, did a wonderful thing for Jesus, yet she was rebuked by others. They immediately judged her as “wasteful” and “inconsiderate”, that she would use this expensive perfume on Jesus, blessing Him, instead of selling it and helping many others. However, as Jesus said, it was a good thing. This woman will be remembered for her deed. The poor will be there, but Jesus was short for this world, so He needed it more at this juncture in time.

WOW! Isn’t this exactly how the enemy tries to keep us from doing God’s will? Satan tries to trip us up by having people judge us as “inconsiderate”, “selfish” or “wasteful”, because we don’t heal or help everyone in the world who needs it. However, as was with this woman, it is not necessarily our job to help everyone. At this point in time, Jesus needed it more and her actions allowed OTHERS to tend to the poor, for she was not called to do so. It allowed others to be blessed by the Lord for being a blessing to others (the poor). There is no way for us to know, but I believe that, if she were not to use the perfume on Jesus and did what the Disciples told her to do, then she would have taken the blessing of others called to help the poor and had them miss out on the glory of God.

I know it hurts us as Christians to see others hurting and in need, it does me. I want to help everyone I can but, if I tried to help everyone, I would soon run out of resources, burn out my ministry, possibly lose hope (for there are so many), and steal the blessings from others, whom God has in place to minister. So, while I do want to help everyone, I must realize that God is in control and He will provide for others as He does for me.

I most certainly must follow what He instructs, help those whom He calls me to help, and take care of them, regardless of what the world thinks (as it was with this woman and Jesus). I can’t help everyone, as much as I want to try, but God doesn’t ask me to do so. He has placed many in the Body of Christ (the Church) to do His will throughout the entire world. If we try to help those He doesn’t call us to, then we are going against the will of God, stepping on others blessings, and doing more harm while trying to do good.

We can’t understand God’s ultimate plan because we only have human understanding, but we can do our part by following how God leads us and listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and helping those whom He calls us to, so His will be done, not our own. For the rest, whom we are not called to help but we see they need it, we can pray. For God will take care of them, through others if not through us. Amen?

Mark 13 - Are You Sleeping?

2009-03-27T11:17:00.000-05:00

35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' ",

We do not know when Jesus will return, it could be right now! According to Mark, Jesus doesn’t even know, only God does. 32"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” So Jesus tells us to be ever vigilant to our duties until He returns. 35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. “

Since we don’t know when He will return, we must be doing everything we can to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ! There are many who are not saved, many who don’t know of Jesus, many who will suffer for eternity for their non-belief, many of them are our friends and family and it is up to us to reach them before time runs out!

We can’t help save them if we don’t take advantage of every opportunity to witness to them, for it may be our last chance. Our inaction could be their eternal damnation, so we have to do something about it; we definitely don’t want Jesus to return and find us doing nothing. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'.

So we can’t sit in the sidelines, sleeping and waiting; we must be vigilant, “watch” as Jesus said, and doing our part to spread the Gospel before we miss our chance. I don’t want to stand before God and say, “I know I could have done better for You, Lord, but I was sleeping”. Amen?

Mark 12 - To God be the Glory!

2009-03-26T08:50:00.001-05:00

“38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

Wow, what an awesome message and warning, be sure of why you are serving the Lord. Are you truly serving Him for His will to be done? Out of love for the Lord so you may share His goodness with others? Or are you doing it to bring attention on yourself? For the benefits of praise for YOUR goodness, not the Lords? This is VERY, VERY important to know. For if you are raising your hands to God so others can see you praise Him, or praying just so others can see you pray, or preaching the word to get kudos for yourself, then you will be “punished most severely”.

Make sure that you ask the Holy Spirit today to search you for the real reasons behind your actions. To make sure that you do what you do to praise and glorify God, not yourself. For if we focus on our Heavenly Father, He will receive the glory, as it should be. Amen?

Mark 11 - God Answers Prayer! Period.

2009-03-25T09:35:00.001-05:00

22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

What an awesome message from Jesus. We must have faith in our Heavenly Father! He loves us so much that He will do anything for us. All we have to do is cry out to Him, take our needs to Him, have faith and believe they will be done, and they are! Praise God!

I’m here to tell you, I’m a firm believer in answered prayers. I have seen it too many times to believe otherwise. God has blessed me tremendously, time and time again, with answered prayers and I thank Him and praise Him.

God answers all of our prayers, for our best interest and in the best timing (His timing), because He loves us, like no one else can. We doubt and lose faith because we don’t always see the answered prayers in the way or the timeline that we expect them to be. But let me tell you this, I much rather God, in His infinite wisdom, be in control than me with my flawed human understanding.

As I have said before, too many times we take our needs to the Lord in prayer, then get up and say, “I hope God will answer my prayers”. NO! There is no need to say, “I hope”, instead say, “it is DONE”. As Jesus said, believe it is done, do not doubt, and it will be done! How awesome is that?

Now you might say, “Rick, I prayed for $10 million and believed it would be mine, but I haven’t got it yet, God didn’t answer my prayer.” Now, some might say, “God answered it, and the answer was ‘NO’.”, but I don’t believe that for a second. God didn’t say “NO”; He answered your prayer, for your best interest. Let’s look at it. What would you do with the $10 million? Pay off all your bills, buy your family nice things, travel, even give to the church. No more worries, if there is any trouble, just throw the money at it to solve your problems, right? Well, then you would place your faith in what the money could do for you; it would become your god. We already have a God that loves us, cares for us, and can solve our problems (if we let Him), better than the money ever could. So you see, God did answer that prayer, in your best interest, by being Him. So, why would you trade that for $10 million and damage your soul in the process? Thank God, that He always answers our prayers and always in our best interest. Amen?

Mark 10 - Jesus Loves the Little Children, and the Teenagers Too!

2009-03-24T09:21:00.001-05:00

Today, God has placed a strong message on my heart that I would like to share.

“13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

This passage, especially the actions of Jesus, tell us how we are to treat our children. As you can see, many rebuked the people bringing children to Jesus, in their mind, Jesus was not to be bothered by the children, they were not “important” enough to approach Jesus. However, Jesus was “indignant”, which ranges in meaning from annoyed to angry. Jesus said not to hinder the children, but to let them come, for the kingdom of God belongs to them and those like them.

What Jesus was saying, I believe, is that we can learn a lot from our children. They seek what they need and want, sometimes without regard for other’s perception of their action. They are more in tune with faith than we adults are, for they will seek without being easily swayed by the world. They believe when everyone will try to tell them differently. They will fight hard for their faith and, as the Bible says in Hebrews 11:1, they will be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

The children are a testament of faith. So much so, that Jesus said that others must receive the kingdom of God like a little child or not enter, then He gathered them, touched them and blessed them. There is no doubt that Jesus loved and appreciated the children. Therefore, it is our responsibility to protect them, teach them, and bring them up in the ways of the Lord, so they will have a strong foundation to hold them up when they enter adulthood and the trials of the world try to bring them down.

With that said, the youth are still children as well. We must not only invest in our little children, but also in our “young adults”, for they need us as well. In fact, it is in the teenage years where the enemy appears to attack the most, trying to convince us that the faith we have in God cannot be “physically” proven, therefore is a fairy tale. The enemy is good at this, and unfortunately, we as adults help.

You see, we invest heavily in the little children, teaching them the Bible, the stories, about Jesus and God, and reward them heavily for their faith. But, we tend to shy away from them as they grow older, when they start to question and won’t follow blindly. We place them off to the side when they no longer listen easily to our words and have them “incubate” until they are grown, until they “come to their senses”. This is the time when they need God and us the MOST, and I don’t feel we are doing our best for them.

I’m not saying that teenagers are easy, or that they listen all the time, or that they aren’t hard headed sometimes, but do they treat us any differently that we treat God? Doesn’t God, our Heavenly Father, instruct us on the ways we should go and don’t we rebel and want to do it our way instead? If not, then why do we get ourselves in so many messes? Therefore, shouldn’t we be a little more compassionate to the youth? For if we act the same way, how can we really judge them?

My final point is simply this, instead of complaining and ignoring the youth, we should be focusing even more on their salvation and their walk with God. Instead of teaching them as children and hope they survive their teenage years to become Christian adults, shouldn’t we invest even more and focus even stronger on them than we did when they were young children? For life is even harder for them now that it was when they were little, so when the world (and enemy) turn up the heat, shouldn’t we, as Christian adults, increase our efforts to show them the goodness of God? I didn’t say it would be easy, but I know it will definitely be worth it! We reap what we sow, so if we don’t invest in our youth, then don’t be surprised when we don’t get a good crop of Christian adults.

Besides, you will be surprised what teenagers will listen to, many are starving for instruction, yearning to learn about our Savior, searching for hope. We have the answer in Jesus Christ, and it is up to us to teach them. For if we don’t, the enemy is eager to teach them his ways. Satan has no problem teaching teenagers, in fact, I believe he focuses on them the most. What are we doing to stop it?

Mark 9 - Once Again, FAITH

2009-03-24T00:29:00.002-05:00

At one point in this chapter, a man whose son is possessed by an evil spirit ask if Jesus could heal his son, even after the disciples couldn’t. “23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

What an awesome message for us. Jesus answered a questioning, doubting “spirit” with solid words of faith and assurance. Too many times we ask in prayer without really believing an answer is there. We stand up from praying and might think, “I hope God answers my prayer”, in my opinion, this is not true faith. There is no “hoping” when we converse with our Heavenly Father, He is supreme! He can do any and everything, we should not doubt. In Matthew 7:7 it is written, “Ask and it will be given to you”; however, the world comes crashing in on us and we doubt. Why?

We are human and most of the time need tangible evidence of things to truly believe them, hence the old adage, “seeing is believing”, however, Hebrews 11:1“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Therefore, when we doubt, we must respond as the man in this story did, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!". We sometime fail, we sometimes doubt, we are human, but God is divine! He can and will help us through, all we have to do is ask.

So if you find yourself doubting, needed more faith, questioning God, then ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief and praise Him more. We all fall, but not everyone asks or lets God pick them back up. Amen?

Mark 8 - My Will or God's Will be Done?

2009-03-22T14:29:00.001-05:00

33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

We are quick to judge Peter, but we do the same thing in our lives. We hear from God, just as Peter heard from Jesus, and say, “No, that will not happen, I won’t let it”, yet we are imposing OUR will and OUR human understanding to God’s plan. We cannot do that. Just as Jesus rebuked, we must rebuke the enemy and evil spirit of our own earthly desires and let God’s will and the Holy Spirit be our guide and driving force. When we take the focus off of our own needs, desires, understanding, and will, then God will work through us for His plan to develop and grow. And you know that God’s will is much better than our own. Amen?

Just think, if it were possible (which it wasn’t) for Peter to keep Jesus from dying, which was Peter’s desire at this point, we would not have salvation available to us! Isn’t God’s plan much better than Peter’s? Shouldn’t we stop thinking like Peter and listen more to God?