Unsearchable Things

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. ~ Jeremiah 33:3

Communication with God.  A direct invite from the Creator of the universe to call out to Him. He will answer us.  Call out to Him no matter the time and no matter the problem.  He wants to help His children.  Jeremiah spent most of his life warning Judah and Jerusaleum of the judgement that was to come and was finally imprisoned, but the Lord wanted to remind Jeremiah that He was still there for Him.  By seeking God and calling out to Him, God promised that He will answer.  We may not always get the answer we want, but God is always there ready to help.  We have to remember that His ways are higher than ours and He has so much to teach us if we would just ask and listen.  Jeremiah was told by God that He would restore the Israelites and God wants to do the same thing for us.  He is a God of restoration no matter what you are going through, or where you have been.  Genuinely put your faith and trust in Him, leave difficulties at His feet and call out to Him.  He will answer.  An answer may come that would not have been revealed if you didn’t call upon the Lord; an answer you would have never guessed, or imagined.  If you want to grow a deeper relationship with God, this invitation to call out to Him in prayer is a great place to start.  He will reveal to you things you could have only known by asking Him.  He will reveal to you your true identity – a child of the Most High.  Your soul and spirit will be enlightened.  Trust God in the midst of hard challenges and life’s difficulties by calling out to Him.  Praise Him in good times; call on Him in bad times and converse with Him in the meantime.  Just pray.  Be humble, be faithful, be sincere and wait for His guidance.  He will answer.  Let this verse fill you with hope and assurance that God wants to help.  Call out to Him. ~ Amen

Wise Understanding

Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ~ Jame 3:13

I like how James opens chapter 3 talking about the need for all of us to control our tongues and then asks, “who is wise and understanding among you?”  I don’t think that was by coincidence, but rather he was telling us that one way we could show our wisdom is by our actions and not our words.  Sometimes we need to be quiet and let our lives be our example.  Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.”  Buying into the world’s wisdom that is mostly understood by senses, emotions, feelings and intellect is not necessarily bad, but if you put that wisdom before God’s you will be most likely disappointed.  Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”  So we cannot always follow our heart as the world would tell us to do.  Before we can be considered wise, we must fear the Lord.  Not fear Him as be scared of Him, but fear Him as meaning to have great reverence, or respect for Him.  To be in awe of Him.  We must put Him in His rightful place as the leader in our lives.  The headship.  By putting ourselves to the side, and humbly coming to Christ for His guidance we show wisdom.  Many people believe that wisdom comes from knowledge and intellect, but Godly wisdom comes from a humble heart that lives out the daily life in pursuit of God’s righteousness.  True wisdom has nothing to do with earthly knowledge, but everything to do with our relationship to God and how we live that out.  To lead a life of submission to God will produce a life of wisdom through humility and gentleness.  We will act and live our lives out according to the wisdom we follow; we will act worldly and for knowledge and ambition, or we will act in kindness, in goodness, in humility, in love for others and in Christ first.  The only way I know to get Godly wisdom is to seek God py prayer, studying His word, and living the way God has instructed us by putting Him first and humbling ourselves before Him.  The wisdom we want from Him will be a light to others by our good conduct and our humble attitude.  This is the good life. ~ Amen

Stumbling Blocks

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.  If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ~ Romans 14:13-15

To be a follower of Jesus means we are called to serve others and be mindful of what is good for them and to be considerate of their well being before our own.  Yes, you have been given grace to have a glass of wine with dinner, but who are you in company with?  If one of your table guests struggles with alcohol, you should put your right to a glass off to the side so that your friend does not stumble.  Our right to do something is not as important as our friend’s spiritual well-being, so put your right aside.  Most people are concerned about their own personal satisfaction and have a “me first” attitude, but as followers of Jesus, we are to put others first.  The world thinks of “me first” and we, the church, should be striving to be “we first” starting with the very family of Christ we are a part of and continuing out to our communities.  Most of us are self-absorbed (myself included), but how different our world would look if we put others before ourselves and genuinely helped people become better versions of themselves spiritually and walked humbly by their side.  I don’t ever want to be a stumbling block for someone else, so I must remember that just because something may be permissible for me, that does not mean it is for every believer, or even that it is beneficial.  The heart of a Jesus follower should always put others first no matter what the situation, or circumstance.  Be mindful of those around who are learning from you and help them grow without being a hindrance. ~ Amen

Wait Patiently

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. ~ Romans 8:25

Sometimes waiting in anticipation of something to happen is part of the excitement; other times it can be excruciating.  Like waiting for two more days before you go on that vacation of a lifetime; waiting another week before the arrival of your first child; the anticipation of walking down the aisle to your prince charming.  The anticipation, the expectation, the forecast, or hope for all of these journeys and milestones is exciting.  As followers of Christ, we should have the same hope and excitement for our glorious eternity with Jesus and our new redeemed bodies.  Being made to wait for anything good is hard, but while we are on this side of eternity, God is still using us and blessing us to help others and build more of His character into our faith.  Most people struggle with waiting; after all, patience is a virtue, but in God’s view, waiting and perseverance almost always leads to significant growth.  We want to hurry up and get to the end goal of things, but Christ would have us cherish each step and take note of lessons learned along the way.  Hence one of the reasons you are still on this planet earth.  The path and purpose God placed you here for, specifically your calling, is yours alone and is not finished yet.  While we wait we should be producing a faith filled life full of good fruit for us to share and for others to enjoy.  Your mission here on earth and to mankind has not been fulfilled if you are still here.  God has bigger plans for you still; more for you to do and more for you to grow.  Be open to the waiting and be confident in what is to come.  Keep planting seeds of faith here for others to see.  Spread the good news.  Know that there is a purpose in the waiting and anticipation and learn to be glad in it.  I may not always understand, but I do believe He has perfect timing in everything He does; which means I will be in His glorious presence at the right time.  In the meantime, I will live my life the best I can to serve Him and wait with anticipation and hope. ~ Amen

Myself Nothing

By myself I can do  nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. ~ John 5:30

I don’t know about you, but if Jesus says He can do nothing without His dependance on God, then I know that I must learn to depend more on God myself.  Jesus is the son of God and is in the will of God and wants to stay there to please His father.  Dependance is necessary.  We know that Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity and so has great power and authority, but here He proclaims that He will do nothing aside from what His father has told Him to do.  He has surrendered to God’s ultimate will and plans.  The Jewish leaders of the day were jealous of Jesus and tried to discredit Him and harm his ministry, but to no avail.  By laying down what might have been His own will, Jesus stayed in His father’s will and God was given all the glory.  We see in Jesus the example laid out for how we are to live our lives; doing only what the Father tells us to do.  Humbly human, but still all deity, Jesus showed humanity what it looks like to follow God’s will instead of getting caught up with our own desires.  There is hope for us; we can live as human beings with desires, but we can learn to be consistent in making sure our desires line up with Christ’s.  We can be fully human and show Christ.  Hearing God’s voice, making the right choices, and controlling our thoughts and talk are all easier to do when you are in constant communication with Christ.  When you are trying to please others, or your worldly desires, God’s voice can become clouded, or drowned out, but when you put His voice first His plans will become louder and clearer.  Who are you listening to?  Who are you trying to please?  Lord, I pray I would see, hear and do what is in your will for my life.  Help me to consistently be dwelling in you.  Work through me Lord. ~ Amen 

Will Forgive

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. ~ Hebrews 8:12

In the Old Testament, when the Israelites had sinned over and over and over again they had to make animal sacrifices each time to atone for their sins.  Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t?  I mean there were something like 600 rules under the old covenant with God; how could anyone not break numerous rules everyday?  This old covenant was doomed to fail from the beginning because it relied on flawed human beings being able to fulfill a long list of requirements.  But even while the Israelites were living under the old covenant, the Lord declared to the prophet Jeremiah that something better was coming (read Jeremiah 31:31-34).  A new covenant, and in this new covenant, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, this covenant cannot be broken because Christ himself will fulfill the requirement.  So if you are a follower of Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior and accepted that He died on the cross for your sins, then the Lord God is merciful and just to forgive you of your sins.  Period.  We have to hold onto that truth when the enemy of our souls wants to dredge up our past mistakes.  Do not let him keep you stuck.  God has forgiven you and the devil has no right to attack you with your mistakes, so don’t let him.  Identify yourself as a child of Jesus Christ and move forward.  God has chosen not to penalize us for our sins because He is a God of mercy and grace.  Let that wash over you.  It’s not that He has lost His memory about our mistakes, but that He chooses to look at us through the blood of Jesus and the fulfillment of the price paid on the cross.  Thank God Almighty that the old covenant is gone and I pray I may see myself in the same light that Christ does. ~ Amen

Show Respect

“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.  I am the Lord.” ~ Leviticus 19:32

Aging.  These days a lot of people try their best to stop the process of aging.  I myself have never fully understood why.  Sure, I don’t necessarily like that I have put on extra weight, or have some lines in my face, or that I am not able to move like I used to, but I am okay with it.  You know why?  I have always viewed aging and getting older as a privilege and wisdom filled.  I am okay with aging because I know I have gained knowledge, experiences and wisdom (both worldly and spiritually) that I didn’t have in my twenties.  I have grown and matured and become a better version of myself comfortable in my own skin and I don’t want to go backwards.  Forwards equals more knowledge and wisdom in Christ.  I have earned my gray hair and consider it “wisdom glitter”.  Some of it was earned through great pain; it’s a badge of honor.  Proof that God brought me to the other side.  We need to turn the world’s negative connotation of aging around.  This verse causes us to look at ourselves and how we treat the aging, or the elderly.  Today’s culture sometimes values youth over age; which is totally contradictory to how the Lord asked and wanted the Israelites to behave.  The elderly were esteemed for their wisdom and knowledge and the younger generations were advised to seek counsel from the elderly so that they could soak in some of that wisdom and knowledge.  Fast forward to the nineteenth century and a lot of us are quicker to ask counsel and wisdom from someone in our own age bracket than to ask our seasoned grandparents for their advice.  I dare say we have lost our zeal for the aging, or elderly.  They are living, breathing encyclopedias full of worldly and biblical wisdom that we should value a lot more than we do.  So let’s teach our children and their children the true value of grandpa and grandma.  Maybe it’s not that we are afraid of growing old; maybe we are afraid of being forgotten.  There is great value in every person, especially those who have lived and experienced life for a long time.  That’s who I want to strive to be; a grandma full of wisdom and experiences to share. ~ Amen

Live Securely

He will stand & shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  And they will live securely for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. ~ Micah 5:4

Approximately 700 years BEFORE the birth of Jesus, the prophet Micah prophesied his birth.  If you have never dug deep into and studied the many prophecies that were foretold in the Old Testament that came true years, HUNDREDS of years, later in the New Testament, I encourage you to do so.  It’ll blow your mind.  I mean 700 years before Jesus even came on the scene.  Let that sink in.  Micah was prophesying about someone he would never see this side of heaven.  Why would he procalm such craziness?  Doesn't he realize this makes him look like a mad man?  Would you have believed him?  So much sin, corrupt politics and bad leaders and all forms of idolatry were happening throughout Israel.  Micah proclaimed that judgment was coming and that Israel would be exiled for their disobedience to the Lord, but that God would restore them once again at an appointed time.  The Messiah, according to Micah, would be born from the small town of Bethlehem.  How could he have known that unless he was hearing straight from God himself?  At its core, this prophecy from Micah is a powerful reminder that God is faithful and will fulfil his promises. God sent Jesus to be born in a small town; to be birthed by a young girl who was engaged to be married, but who was seen as faithful to God, and to be born in the most humble of places – a manger.  But for Israel and the rest of the world, what this man, the Messiah, would do for us would secure us with redemption if we would accept him as our Lord and Savior.  Thank you Jesus! ~ Amen

Have Fullness

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace with his blood, shed on the cross. ~ Colossians 1:19-20

How many times have you been pleased to make a sacrifice?  I can’t think of any time I was pleased to make a sacrifice.  In fact, quite the opposite is true; I’ll do it, but it’s going to come with a lot of pride and self-righteousness and probably a side of complaining.  We will never fully understand what it cost Jesus to follow through with the reconciliation mission God sent Him on.  The fact of the matter is God fully dwelled in Jesus here on earth to bridge the gap between Him and us even knowing full well that thousands of us would turn our selfish cheek from this gift.  He asked his son to bear a very horrible burden and to surfer even a more gruesome death.  Jesus asked for this burden to be lifted, but was willing to do whatever would please his father and thus followed through with the mission to save this broken world.  God loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His son for people that Jesus would never even met while here on earth; this was a mission for eternity.  God can now find complete joy in us through the sacrifice of his obedient son.  God is pleased with us because, as followers, we have accepted His perfect gift and have acknowledged that Jesus did something for us that only He could have done.  God is pleased with us through our belief and ultimately He can be pleased with us because of Jesus Christ.  God is pleased with the reconciliation plan Jesus completed and is pleased with us when we accept this invitation of freedom.  Take the gift.  Accept Christ and come back to your Creator.  Don’t turn from this gift that brings the greatest peace you’ll ever know. ~ Amen

Be Merciful

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” ~ Luke 6:36

Jerky people; they’re all around us and sometimes they can be very hurtful.  Just once I would like permission to hold a grudge, keep them in the “unforgiven” lane and be righteous in doing so.  But I can’t.  I have acknowledged and proclaimed that I am a follower of Jesus.  Gulp.  Showing forgiveness and mercy are just a couple of the characteristics that I am called to exemplify.  Rats.  Another big gulp.  My family, my friends and my coworkers deserve mercy, but those who oppose me who don’t really even know me; really?  Well, Jesus showed me mercy when He didn’t even yet know I would follow, or accept Him.  He has shown me more mercy than I deserve and so if I am eager to accept it, I better be eager to give it as His follower.  I know this is not easy and I’m not saying it will ever be easy.  I get it.  I have been lied about, slandered, backstabbed and emotionally beaten.  I have been hurt and overwhelmed by such anger and rage that I literally could not see; I was seeing spots.  The only thing I knew to say was Jesus’ name over and over again in my mind and sometimes out loud because I couldn’t find any other words to pray.  Eventually I got to words, scream like prayers to Him in my car, weeping prayers at night and silent prayers during the day.  Months into my healing, during quiet time, I heard, “Just forgive.  They don’t know me.  They are lost.  Give me the bitterness and show them mercy when they come back around.  Let me do my work.”  That day I made a decision to forgive them.  They know the door is open and if they ever come back into my life, I will be ready.  We must be merciful.  Not everyone knows Him.  We must be merciful because He was merciful first.  He was merciful with me.  I need to be merciful with them.  I will be merciful and respect their space and I will be merciful by letting the grudge go and in truth, I will be merciful to myself by letting the bitterness and hurt go. ~ Amen

Stay Away

“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.  I am the Lord your God.” ~ Leviticus 19:31

There is a spiritual realm battling for your attention everyday.  There are many people out there who like to dabble in communication with the other side and who profess guidance and wisdom from “beyond”.  Spirits, demons and practices contrary to God’s word are very real.  There is a spiritual battle going on around us constantly and spiritual discernment for a follower of Christ is imperative.  We live in a world full of contradictions to how Jesus wants us to live.  Partaking of spiritual practices outside of God and outside of His word are abhorrent to Christ and defiles the very faith you claim to have in Jesus.  Do not engage in such practices!  You are playing with fire and inviting a division among your soul.  Seek wisdom, insight and guidance from those aligned with Christ and His ways only.  Everytime we seek counsel from someone who is not rooted in Christ, we are telling Him that we do not trust Him, or HIs ways, or plans for our life.  The temptation to seek out ungodly advice and wisdom comes straight from the pit of hell and Satan himself. Do not be tempted!  Let’s not compromise our faith and relationship with our Savior by being swayed into practices that don’t align with His word and that have the potential to destroy you in the end. This verse says you will be defiled by them.  The Merriam Webster dictionary defines defiled in many different ways, but some of them are: violated, or to make unclean, or to dishonor.  Do you really want to be violated, or made unclean spiritually? Do you really want to dishonor Christ?  Be steadfast in your praise, faithfulness, obedience and trust in the one true God - Jesus Christ.  Pray for your eyes to be open and your mind to have clarity and keep your trust in the one and only who died a brutal death for you and who only wants the best for you.  Do not dabble in communication with spiritists, mediums, witches, wizards, or any other practice that claims to reach to the other side.  Engaging in unholy wisdom from the “other side” is to engage with Satan.  Doors could be unlocked that have severe consequences.  Stay away!  Some things we are just not meant to know, or understand.  Stick with God’s wisdom and trust Him. ~ Amen

Holy Name

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:10

Most days I can find a reason to shout out joy and praise to God, but if I listen to the news, or my favorite uncle’s rant on politics, I can get sucked into despair pretty quickly.  Weathering storms in life is just part of life, plain and simple, but I have a choice to either wallow in it, or praise God’s holy name through it.  When we praise God through the good, He is blessed, but I believe that when we praise Him through the bad He is not only blessed; I believe He shakes things up in the spiritual realm in our favor.  We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  Glorifying God no matter what we are going through is necessary as a follower of Jesus.  It helps keep our perspective straight.  To remember His sovereignty and to honor and praise Him for the God He is and the love He shows us is to fill our souls with joy and peace.  To have a joyful life, we must continually seek the giver of joy; Jesus Christ our Lord.  The heart and soul are refreshed, renewed and revived when we praise God.  We find fulfillment and purpose when we seek God and His ways.  The world is a confusing place with many different paths that claim happiness, but until you are seeking Him and His path and will for your life, you will never find contentment.  The purest form of joy is not found in the world, but only through God.  That joy is our eternal hope.  There are going to be dark days, even days when God’s presence seems withdrawn and no joy can be found, but even in these days, if you seek God and praise Him for who He is, He will meet you. He sees you.  Always.  During seasons when you turn away from God He will still wait and rejoice with you when you return and He’ll be full of joy for the reconnection of your soul.  Give God the glory and praise due Him and let Him fill you with joy. ~ Amen

First Seek

But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” ~ 1 Kings 22:5

In life you are going to make thousands of decisions; some big and some small and there will be some that you just aren’t sure of.  How many different people do you seek wisdom from before making that big decision?  How many people do you go to before you finally decide to ask God?  Isn’t that what we typically do; ask others before we go to Him.  He cares for you and only wants what’s best for us, so why is He often the last we seek wisdom from?  Many times we will make a decision and then ask for God’s blessing after the fact?  Where to move?  Should I take that job?  Should I ask this person to marry me?  Asking others about our life’s decisions before we ask God is a backwards approach and the pain of many bad decisions could have been prevented if only God’s wisdom was sought right from the start.  Boy, don’t I know that to be true in my own life!  Reckless decision making usually ends up being bad decision making.  We tend to want what the world wants and are easily swayed unless we are intentional about seeking His wisdom first.  The world is full of glitz, glamour, greed and nice shiny things, but that doesn't mean they are all meant for us.  God will never lead you astray and longs for us to come to Him first.  I know that in the above verse King Jehoshaphat and King Ahab are trying to decide whether or not to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead and that I will probably never be seeking advice about physical warfare, but when you think about it, our decisions can have an impact on our spiritual warfare and that can be just as powerful.  To live in God’s will for your life means you must push out the noise of the world, humble yourself, pray for guidance and direction, trust that He knows the best and obey His direction.  Not only will your eyes be opened, but your heart will be able to clearly identify the path you are supposed to take and your mind will be at peace.  And if you don’t get an answer, wait.  Wait on the Lord.  Matthew 6:33 reminds us, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Why not seek him first?  That’s a fabulous start! ~ Amen

No Condemnation

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ~ Romans 8:1-3

Romans 8 outlines for us our freedom from a death sentence.  The fact of it is we could never have kept ourselves perfect in the law, but when God sent His son to pay for our sins, if we have accepted this gift of salvation through Jesus, then we are now reserved for Him and Him only.  Our reservation in hell has been cancelled and our ticket of sin tore up.  I no longer have to worry about being judged by God, or worry about being “good enough”.  God’s son took my sins upon himself and once I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my sins and judgement no longer hold me back as they have been taken care of – my record has been wiped clean.  Once you believe in Christ, you can no longer be separated from His love.  Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  There is no more condemnation for followers of Jesus – period.  We often let our conscience take over and continue to wear guilt and shame when Christ says we are free.  We need to take control of our minds and lay our shame and guilt at Jesus’ feet.  If we are in Him, we need to remind ourselves that we are free. Too many of us hold on to things we have done, or said in the past, but once you become a follower of Jesus, if He doesn't condemn you anymore, then why should you condemn yourself?  Let it go.  Give it to Him.  The best way to move forward is to confess to Christ your thoughts about the past, leave them at His feet and look to the future.  I once heard this saying, “there is a reason the rearview mirror is so small and the windshield is so big – you are supposed to stay focused on where you are going and only glance back once in a while to where you have been.”  I think the same could be said of our spiritual walk, our past, present and future.  Don’t get caught staring back.  Look forward.  Enjoy your freedom. ~ Amen

Faithful Keeping

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep his commandments. ~ Deuteronomy 7:9

Another reminder from God to the Israelites.  A message delivered through Moses, who I am sure was exhausted and frustrated with these people, as he is about to lead these sometimes unruly people into Canaan.  Another message.  Moses has witnessed these people treating God as a genie; wavering back and forth in their desire for His holiness, but always pleading with Him to get them out of sticky situations.  God is faithful and always ready to help us no matter how many times we may turn from Him because faithfulness is who He IS; not just what He DOES.  Our faithfulness as humans tends to be conditional and asks others to BE faithful to us, but God IS faithful.  It’s part of His being, like blood is part of our body.  It’s not a verb for Him; it’s a noun.  God’s faithfulness is limitless and His love for us has no bounds.  Lamentations 3:22-24 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’”  God grants me a clean slate every morning and His love pursues me everyday.  Pursuing us when we turn away from Him and go our own way.  Pursuing me through past mistakes and grotesque sin; all because He is the one true God who wants a relationship with each of us.  And for those of us who are followers of Jesus, we not only get His pursuing love, but we get His limitless faithfulness when we are obedient to keep His commandments.  God is always working behind the scenes for our good even when we can’t see it.  He IS faithful.  For us followers, that is the hope beyond all hope.  Praise God. ~ Amen

Past Gains

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ~ Philippians 3:7

To be selfish and self-centered comes easily to us; it’s in our DNA.  We were born into a sinful world with a sinful nature and our culture screams “Me! Me! Me!” so it’s no wonder we can easily become self-absorbed.  But to be Christ-centered instead of self-centered, well, that takes work, intentionality, a total surrender to our Maker.  People consider themselves holy and righteous by putting all their religious traditions and practices ahead of true, real and lasting personal relationships.  Paul listed in verses 4-6 all the reasons he was able to boost in the flesh, but after becoming a follower of Jesus, he would much rather give those accomplishments up to have more time, more fellowship and a richer relationship with Jesus Christ.  Many of us are living a life in hopes of acquiring power, money and prestige, but is it worth losing your faith, relationships and hope in Christ?  I am not saying that you can’t have it all; you can!  But we must be very aware and intentional about making sure Christ is our priority ahead of our worldly desires.  We must remember that nothing compares to knowing Him and no earthly treasure will ever be as great as our heavenly treasure.  Matthew 16:26 says, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”  And in Matthew 6:24 the scriptures say, “No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and wealth.”  Having things, or desires is not a bad thing, as we know that all good gifts come from God, but putting our worldly desires ahead of our relationship with Christ is a slippery slope.  Ask the Holy Spirit to transform your mind and heart so that you are in His alignment and will for your life and watch change happen.  Your thoughts, dreams, desires and wants will be transformed and renewed. ~ Amen

Neither Counts

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. ~ Galatians 5:6

To pray with your eyes open, or closed. To dance, or not dance.  To sing hymns, or praise and hip hop.  To circumcise, or not.  Too fast, or not too fast.  Sometimes Christians get caught up in issues that are really personal preferences, but have no bearing on the issue of true salvation.  When we are accepted into Christ’s family we should be more concerned about showing Christ’s love to one another no matter our preferences and we should embrace our differences while celebrating our unity in Christ.  The Law of Moses from the Old Testament was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross for our sins.  We are no longer bound by the law, but instead we are free through the blood of Jesus.  Validating, or justifying our faith through our obedience of the Mosaic law has little value now.  Our justification comes from Christ only and our love for Him should be evident to others through our faith in Him.  Our faith and trust honors God which in turn is a blessing to us.  We don’t need to get caught up in rituals, traditions and the do’s and don’ts of religion.  We need to be about the character of God through love and grace.   Faith is a heart issue; it’s a relationship with Jesus, not a task oriented checklist.  Faith says, “I want to see God’s work in my life and other’s lives” and we get excited about it; which in turn, leads to loving others and meeting their needs.  Let’s make sure our hearts are set to love others through our faith and let God shine instead of being concerned with personal preferences.  The heart is what matters in the end. ~ Amen

No Shame

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ~ Romans 5:5

In a world full of uncertainty how can anyone be hopeful?  Numerous times I have been disappointed as promises made by others, or even to myself, go drifting by.  Worldly hope and hope we have put in others always has the possibility of disappointment, but as followers of Jesus, our hope will one day be fully realized.  The hope of living in God’s goodness forever will be realized by us because God’s love has been poured out onto us and in our hearts and His promises cannot be broken.  This spiritual hope and confidence is gifted to us not by anything that we have done, but is the sole work of everything Christ has done for us.  A blood bought gift.  This eternal hope is not earned, but received as the Holy Spirit enters our being and transforms us.  Bought with a great price; that once we accept we are reconciled with our Creator and spared His wrath.  We can have peace with God that will lead us to an eternal hope of the goodness yet to come.  A deep down knowledge; “without a shadow of doubt” kind of feeling that is embedded in your heart of hearts.  This is the hope we have in Christ.  Christian hope is rooted in God’s goodness and promises while worldly hope is founded in efforts and the fleshes desires.  Let’s make sure we are grounded in the right hope. ~ Amen

Also Rejoice

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. ~ Romans 5:3-4

Too many people believe that if you are a follower of Jesus, then you should have a problem free life, but the fact of the matter is Jesus actually promised us trials.  Jesus told us in John 16:33, “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.”  I have been asked ‘why do Christians suffer?  Why does God allow bad things to happen to his children?’ Bad things happen on a daily basis and the reality is we live in a broken and fallen world where sin has entered and turned God’s original plan upside down.  God gave us free will; which allowed us the opportunity to rebel against Him.  Even though He created us for a relationship with Him, He doesn’t want to make puppets out of us and force a dictatorship; so He chooses to be a gentleman by allowing us to choose Him.  In the beginning, Adam and Eve enjoyed a close relationship with Him, but because of their one sinful choice; their disobedience, sin was brought into the world.  Because of that choice, there is now a brokenness of sin and hurt in our world.  But we don’t have to live in that defeat and we don’t have to wallow in our sufferings.  Instead of complaining and whining as our flesh wants us to, we need to look ahead and remember that trials and difficult times are God’s way of pruning us back; of removing the dead life out of us and to remember that He makes everything work out for those who love Him.  To glory in your trial is to remember that God has promised something beautiful on the other side even if we can’t see it.  God and only God, in His sovereignty, allows things to happen for reasons we are not always meant to understand this side of heaven.  He may be testing our faith to produce Christ-like character and we will be better for it - just hang on! ~ Amen

Many Plans

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. ~ Proverbs 19:21

How many times have you had a specific plan only to watch it fall apart?  How often do you seek Godly counsel regarding your plans?  God doesn’t have a problem with us making plans - plans for our future, plans for our family, plans for our job - what He wants us to remember is that He has the final say and is the one ultimately in control.   We would be wise to plan, but understand that God’s will should be our first priority and desire.  God knows that the flesh may lead our hearts desires astray from what God wills for our lives, but if we ask for His guidance, He will be sure to give it.  When we surrender our desires and plans to God, He moves us into His will for our lives.  The fact of the matter is life moves fast and things change all the time and when you feel yourself getting frustrated maybe that’s when you should stop and ask God if this is His plan, or your own plan.  Maybe you're trying too hard to make something happen that was never intended to be.  Feeling frustrated is normal when our plans don’t pan out, but I believe we could alleviate a lot of the frustration from the very start if we would ask God for his guidance and will even before planning.  Prepare for divine interruptions; they will happen.  So today give your plans to the Lord and see what He reveals. ~ Amen

From God

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ~ 1 John 4:7

Big red hearts filled with chocolate candy and stuffed teddy bears claiming, “I Love You” are all over the stores around the end of January through Valentines Day.  Once a year we are bombarded with reminders of love, but as followers of Jesus, we should be showering our world everyday with signs of love.  As the Holy Spirit transforms our life, our love for our neighbors should begin to shape into a godly love of service, forgiveness and sincere care and respect.  To love like Christ does not come naturally; there has to be a change of heart that only the Holy Spirit can bring.  To have true love for people, you must have a true love of God because the unconditional, sacrificial love He gave us and wants us to show others only comes from Him.  You cannot show that kind of love without tapping into your relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit as it is not natural on our own.  Love conjured up by human feelings is not the same agape love that Christ demonstrated for us.  Our human love has strings, conditions and sometimes says, “I have fallen out of love.”  God’s love is supreme, respectful no matter your past or background, is empathetic and full of servanthood.  It sees me for me and not for what I am not, or could be.  God’s love cannot “fall out of love”.  There is no such thing.  It is forever.  Our love for each other, as followers of Christ, should strive to look the same way.  No matter who they are, where they are at, or where they have been, we need to show them God’s love.  I have a long way to go when it comes to showing God’s love.  I have a lot of improving to do; I am not the best at this, but I pray everyday that God would change my heart to love people as He does.  If I am a follower of Jesus, I must try my best to love like Jesus. ~ Amen

Submit Yourselves

Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ~ James 4:7

Trust.  It’s all about trust.  In today’s world we are given many opportunities to submit ourselves to many different voices - our jobs, our wallets, our desires for more success, our ambitions, or even just the desire to submit to ourselves and what we may think is best for us.  Our world is geared to helping you submit to yourself and whatever those desires may look like selfish, or not.  When we submit to ourselves and our own abilities instead of God's, that's when sin and temptation tend to slowly creep into our lives ever so subtly.  All of a sudden our ambitions create a whole lot of pride; our success leads to greed; our greed leads to gluttony and on and on and on it goes before we become so selfish that we can’t seem to find the time, or effort for anyone else.  Fight the urge to put yourself first; serve others and submit your ways to God and watch the devil leave you.  We must resist the cultures’ me, me, me, self-service attitude and put others first if we truly want to find joy and happiness in life.  Humble yourself and submit your whole being, your life, your kids, your work, every part of your life to Christ and how He would have you live your life and watch the devil flee!  He must!  Be mindful of the many temptations Satan uses to entice you with.  They often come wrapped in shiny, fun, pretty little packages, but once unwrapped and opened they will have you paying dearly - so push back and resist with all your might the temptations set before you.  Call out to Christ and let Him give you the strength to resist and say NO!  Use God’s word to guard your heart, mind and spirit and memorize God’s promises so you can easily bring them to your mind when confronted with the liar and his schemes.  Remember, you must do both - resist the devil and submit to God.  You will see victory!  Be obedient and God’s grace will carry you through. ~ Amen

Eternal House

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:1

In this life, in your current and temporary body, you will experience aches, pains and fatigue.  In due time, our bodies will fail us here on earth and we will pass away.  Everyone does it.  No one is exempt.  It’s a sure part of life.  The earthly body our spirit inhabits right now will one day fail us, but as believers in Christ, our spirits will move on to their permanent house built for us by Christ himself.  This earthly body, or tent, as Paul describes it, is not our permanent home.  Night will come for my earthly body, but my spirit will move on to its permanent home with Christ and my soul will rejoice in its homecoming.  As part of the worldly creation, we were not yet able to live in the heavenly realms, but once our work here is complete and Christ calls us home, we will have our eternal address with our King.  When our bodies are gone as our temporary housing unit, our spirit still has eternal hope in our new home that no human mind can comprehend where we will spend eternity.  As I have heard it said, we are a spirit living in a temporary body, not a body with a temporary spirit.  One day we will move from this home to our forever home.  Rest assured that as followers of Christ, we will live in a glorious state with a new body surrounded by Jesus and His glory forever.  While it is important to maintain your “tent”, or “house” as best as you can, be careful not to spend so much time on the upkeep of your body that your soul deteriorates.  Make time for God and His Kingdom.  Prepare for eternity so as to make sure you are in the heavenly realms when the time comes.  We would be wise to exercise our souls for His Kingdom as much as we exercise our earthly bodies to keep them in tip top shape.  Pursue Godly living and walk by faith knowing that our future is glorious even though we cannot see it yet.  Be encouraged that there is so much more in our permanent, heavenly home. ~ Amen

Bless Abundantly

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8

Through God’s gift of unmerited favor, that he bestowed upon me, I should show that same generosity towards others.  We exercise our faith and trust in the Lord when we give generously knowing that God has and will meet all my needs at all times.  Maybe not all my WANTS, but all my NEEDS are met all time. When we choose to be generous, we are actively choosing to act in a way that aligns with God's character and His love.  It’s not an “I give, so God has to bless me” mentality, but rather as a way to experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from giving freely. To be spiritually blessed knowing that you are walking in accordance with God.  Christ has already proven himself to meet all our needs even unto death as the sacrificial lamb for our redemption to God.  Followers of Christ must learn to trust God in all things so that our good works and generosity will not be inhibited.  Christ’s generosity knows no bounds and as long as we are tethered to Him, our generosity will also know no limits; whether it’s with our resources, or our time.  For if we are tied to Him, who is the source, we will never run out.  God’s grace runs through many veins in our lives, but when it comes to generosity and giving, we can never out give God.  He wants to bless His followers who have big hearts and giving hands.  Too many times we hold tightly to what we believe is ours because we are afraid we won’t have enough to meet all our needs, but God would say, “try me”.  A gift can come in many different forms and different sizes and sometimes all God is asking from us is a small gift, enough to test us while still meeting the needs of a fellow human being.  We feel the crunch of the wallet and have forgotten that in God’s economy it is much better to give than to receive.  Jesus himself taught in Luke 6:38, “Give, 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.”  Every follower of Christ has received an abundant gift of grace through the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness shown to us.  May we be as generous as what has been given to us not so that we have enough, but so that others will have enough.  Let our hearts be generous. ~ Amen

Has Made

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

Just when you thought things could not get any worse, tragedy strikes.  You lose your job, you lose a loved one, one of your kids gets extremely sick - you name it; all you know is this is not what you had planned for your life.  Heavy burdens and uncertainty can pave a road of doubts and fear, but if you read Ecclesiastes 3:1, you will see that everything has a God ordained time.  The truth of the matter is that God’s timing may seem way off the mark, or what He is doing is so painful you think there is no way this can be part of His plan.  The truth is He is always working from a different perspective.  A much higher perspective than we can possibly fathom.  Operating out of his sovereignty even when He allows extreme pain in our lives.  He sees the whole jigsaw puzzle of our life and the masterpiece that it will be; while we oftentimes, get stuck on one piece at a time because we can’t see the whole picture.  Our life is a wonderful mesh of many different pieces that make a priceless piece of art; a one of a kind.  Too many people walk aimlessly through life thinking this is all there may be for us, but Ecclesiastes 3:11 makes it abundantly clear that we all have a God given knowledge that there is more than what this world has to offer.  We can have tremendous hope and encouragement when we rest in the fact that eternity will be spent with our Creator and this world will be but a vivid memory.  One day we will be able to see what God was doing; how He was in control and how He will make everything right again.  God’s timing is not our timing and our job is to trust Him; to hold onto our hope and faith and believe that we will see how everything had a specific and beautiful place and time for a reason.  Everything comes together in harmony specifically designed, or allowed by God.  God sees the past, present and future and knows how to piece it together at the right time.  We need to trust God, especially in trials, as He sees what we can’t.  We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and trust Him to craft our lives. ~ Amen

Lacks Wisdom

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ~ James 1:5

We often wonder if we are making the right choices in life.  It is said that everyday we make about 35,000 decisions – some good and some not so good.  That is mind boggling!  How in the world do we make so many decisions?  Some of them we make without even thinking about; as if they are instinctual.  Some of them are easily answered and others, well, we need wisdom on how and where to land.  Sometimes we go to our parents for advice, a friend, or even a coworker.  Have you ever listened to someone and then wished you would have gone another direction?  Ever received wrong advice?   Whether or not we get the wisdom we are seeking depends on how much we truly trust God.  If we truly believe God wants the best for us, then going to Him and asking for wisdom would be a no brainer; especially in difficult times.  God wants you to ask for wisdom and delights in the questions and the following obedience.  To live a God centered life, we are wise to ask God for His wisdom instead of just going about our way in such a confusing world.  It’s also important to understand that God is willing to give you the wisdom you seek without judgement, but rather freely no matter what your past may look like.  You don’t have to have it all together before God will give you wisdom.  He just wants you to ask.  When we ask God for his wisdom, we are acknowledging that we can’t do this on our own.  We are acknowledging that He knows best.  Go to Him with a humble heart and receive.  Seek godly counsel, pray for wisdom, wash your mind and heart with God’s word and trust that His wisdom is in line with the best for you.  His wisdom is full of peace, selflessness, and goodness as opposed to worldly wisdom that is oftentimes self-centered, crafty and sometimes more concerned about personal gain than others.  Wisdom from God, instead of the world, benefits our spiritual well being and can produce great outcomes not only for you, but for others close to you as well.  Wisdom to lead your family also impacts your loved ones.  Wisdom to deal with a difficult co-worker may soften their heart also.  Wisdom to use your resources the way God wants you to can help meet the needs of people you don’t even know.  Godly wisdom, coupled with your obedience to follow, oftentimes can have eternal consequences that you may never even know about.  Let’s be sure we are asking for the right wisdom and then follow with an obedient heart. ~ Amen