Known Everywhere

The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere. ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:8 

What does your faith say about you?  What role do you serve in your church to spread the gospel of Jesus?  So many of us serve in our local church, but what does it look like to serve outside those walls?  The church is a great place to share our faith and cultivate our beliefs, but we need to look for opportunities to share Christ's love out in the world so that we are known by our faith and God's love can be shared to those that may never have stepped a single foot into a church.  Now days it is so easy to get comfortable and stuck in a rut of just sharing our faith with fellow believers.  How different would our world look if we were known by our faith and for serving and sharing to even the least of them in our broken communities who are outside of our church?  In this world full of people believing the many cruel lies of the enemy and feeling hopeless we need to be missionaries for God Almighty and let his love, mercy, and grace guide us to those who so desperately need Him.  They are hurting and need to know that they don't have to stay stuck in this broken world without hope.  Likely, we may be the only Jesus some in our neighborhoods ever see.  What are you showing them?  As much as I want people to think kindly of me, I really long for people to know without a doubt that my faith in Jesus Christ is my sole strength and I want my lifestyle to be evangelical so that I may always be aware of the right opportunity to share the gospel.  As I live my time out here on earth, I pray that God would use me to reach others and that I would be known by my faith in Him by showing His great love and kindness.  Lord, help me to be a tool, a vessel used by you to reach many and let my reputation be one of great faith and your love. ~ Amen

Pure Religion

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans & widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~ James 1:27

James chapter one is chalked full of advice for followers of Jesus Christ.  We are told what to do if we lack wisdom, how to deal with trials, being tempted and even gives a warning about keeping a tight rein over our sometimes zealous tongue.  What else we are given here is the command to not only act religious, but to treat people with real needs with respect and love and look after them.  We are to be the guardians and protectors of people who have no one else to fight for them; no one else to help them in their daily lives.  Spend time with those who have nobody to help them do life together.  We are to love and adopt the fatherless and widows as Christ adopted us.  Today there are people out there who need Christians to step up and don't just talk the talk of loving others, but who actually walk the talk also.  We should be finding ways to help them with their distress and by doing so we show Christ's love.  A religious life is void of a holy life until and unless we show the love of Christ to those around us.  We can do all the right things, say the right things, go through the motions, but if we don't show love and keep ourselves out of the sins of the world, we have nothing new for the world.  It says in 1 Corinthians 13:1:  "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."  I don't know about you, but I don't want to be nothing, and I for sure don't want to be a 'resounding gong'; I want to be love.  We are "religious" in God's eyes when we keep ourselves from the world's sin and care for those in need with love.  With the Holy Spirit's help, we can stay away from our own selfish ambitions and ask God to open our eyes to those He would have us help; even the lowly of the lowly.  Lord, help me to be a servant to the needy and open my eyes to my own worldly sin so that I could be pure before you. ~ Amen

War Against

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ~ 1 Peter 2:11

This world we live in is so contradictory to how we are supposed to live according to God's word that sometimes I do feel like an exiled alien just waiting to return home.  There are so many ways to sin in this broken world and a lot of the temptations are so neatly packaged and disguised in the name of "fun".  These little "fun packages" are meant to distract us from our final destination and meant to destroy our souls spiritually, our bodies physically and our minds mentally.  But through the Holy Spirit we need to stand our ground and show God's love and turn from the wicked ways of this world.  First, we need to remember that this is not our home, nor our final destination.  We are children of the Most High and we need to be ready for the spiritual battles that lay ahead of us.  We are not home; we are only visiting for a short time and have work to do.  Transformation has hopefully changed our goals and opened our eyes to the fact that we are holy royal priesthood.  We need to be able to identify what is from God and what is from the flesh and worldly desires.  We need to stand strong and turn from our flesh and show compassion to those who the world still have a grip on.  And we need to be careful not to fit in, but we should stand out with such love and kindness that our testimony and lifestyle may help others and stir them to want to turn their lives over to the Lord Almighty.  We have a difficult task in front of us, but one that has great eternal rewards; we are called to live a contradictory life from the wayward worlds.  Hold tight and steadfast!  Lord, help me to live according to your ways and help me to be a beacon of light to others.  Help me to remember this is not my home and help me live and love in such a way that it brings you great glory.  ~ Amen 

Washed Feet - Part 2

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ~ John 13:13-14

Before one can become a truly great leader, they must have conquered the act of servanthood and humility.  Jesus knew that a good teacher not only tells his students how to act, but lovingly shows the example in humble and actively gracious ways to his students.  I can't imagine what the disciples thought, "Jesus!  No!  Why are you washing my disgusting feet?!  Get up!  This is not something you should be doing.  You are God!  We should be washing your feet!  My feet are to filthy for you to touch!"  But Jesus knew He had to show what a great teacher looks like; what it looks like to serve and love regardless of status.  We have to be willing to put others first if we are to be true followers of Jesus; to love everyone He died for no matter their social, economic, or racial status because what Jesus taught is that we are all equal in His eyes.  The mere act of Jesus washing their feet shows what godly character and leadership should look like.  In this same way, we are to be humble and servant like to everyone we meet.  We don't have the right to pick and choose.  Outside views would suggest servanthood to be dictated by a master, or owner, but Jesus flipped this upside down.  It raises the question that if my master and Lord does the serving of others, how much more than should I do for others without common complaint?  If He does it, I surely must.  The example Christ lays out before us is that we are not asked, but that it is mandatory to put aside our selfish ways and serve others if we want to be blessed followers of Him.  There is no such "that's not my job" line; Christ says every need is ours to help meet, help serve and every job you may consider slightly beneath your elevated ego has been divinely set before you.  Lord, as much as it is up to me, help me to meet people where they are and to serve them for your glory. ~ Amen 

Washed Feet

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord' and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." ~ John 13:13-14

Want to become a student of Jesus?  Be kind.  Be a servant.  Get into the nitty gritty of each other's life and love on each other.  Don't judge.  Don't condemn.  Don't expect.  Give the unexpected.  Love on the "undeserving".  Feed the homeless.  Carry your sister and brothers in Christ.  Make time out of your day to just listen.  If Jesus can wash nasty, dirt filled toes with toe jam in between on feet that probably haven't been bathed in weeks and have walked in open toed flip flop things through dirt, mud, and probably some kind of manure, well then, we are called to get down into the thick of it and serve each other.  If the Lord Almighty washed someone's feet; who do you think you are to turn down helping your neighbor next door for a ride to the doctor's office?  Who are you to decide if someone is worthy of help, or not?  If Jesus washed someone's feet, then there is NOTHING I should say no to when asked to help if it is in my means.  Who do I think I am? Who do you think you are?  We are NOT Jesus; let me make that clear.  If anything, we should be more like the woman who washed his feet and we should do it over and over and over and over and over again!  We are called to take care of each other; to "wash each other's feet".  Jesus humbled himself to the very ground to take on this task of a servant; the very ground!  I can't imagine Jesus EVER being at my feet!  Yet that is exactly where He was.  Then we best give our all to be the servant that Christ himself showed us to become; we have no excuse.  Are you really going to set yourself up higher than the Alpha and the Omega?  Ask that hurting person how they are really doing today.  Take someone out to lunch.  Ask the tired mom if you can help her out.  Give a couple hours out of your Sunday to visit the local nursing home.  Stop and help the car on the side of the road with the blinking hazard lights.  Give your leftover restaurant meal to the man on the next street corner; you know, the one with the sign.  Offer the drunk a cup of coffee.  Don't just walk past your hurting sister in the church pew; stop, listen, pray.  Ask the lonely, divorced coworker if she'd like to go to a movie.  Respect that teenager; meet him where he is at.  Make your overworked husband his favorite meal unexpectedly.  Do the dishes and the kitchen for your wife unexpectedly.  Mow the single mom's lawn.  Better yet, snowblow the single mom's driveway!  Be selfless.  Be humble.  Be genuine.  Be kind.  Be a servant.  We have no excuse.  ~ Amen 

My Disgrace

May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel. ~ Psalm 69:6

What a humble prayer for David to pray; bleating that he isn't a stumbling block for others who reach out to the Father.  In the difficult circumstances that David was going through at this time, he prays that others aren't disregarded by God because of his selfish sins and that they would not be forgotten because of his rebellion.  Let's not forget that many are watching us and sometimes our rebellion and actions may be what others see; let us pray that our hypocrisy doesn't get in the way of the building of God's kingdom.  This is a plea to God to please not let my mindless sins and hypocrisy stifle the growth of God's righteous plan.  David is afraid that his actions and attitudes can and would be held against other believers and cause stumbling blocks for others before God.  We should feel the same way; we should pray that our stupidity and selfish sins would not cause others around us to fall.  We should be mindful and pray that our dishonor to God does not nullify, or hinder others approach to the one and only God Almighty.  Like David, we need to be concerned how our influence may, or may not, lead others to God.  Our sins, our lack of concern for other people, our words and actions can all have severe consequences for those seeking God and fellow followers.  Let us not be the reason some never find God, or some turn away from Him.  They see, hear, and sometimes feel our judgement (a hard one for me) and wonder why they would want to serve that "loving God".  Dear Lord, help me to draw people to you instead of push them from you. ~ Amen

Pay Back

Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!'  Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you. ~ Proverbs 20:22

Have you ever wanted to get revenge on someone?  Revenge is the devil's way of destroying your peace and puts you on the dark side of self-destruction and bitterness that can take over your heavy heart.  Once revenge becomes your motive, you block God's healing and give in to tremendous anger and unhealthy attitudes.  This is not God's plan for you and you need to step sideways out of this poison before bitterness and oppression become apparent in your everyday thoughts and actions.  On earth there will never be a perfect way to settle the many injustices we feel fell upon us.  But God promises to bring justice and deliverance as in Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be silent".  When we are silent and leave justice to God, He will make all things right in His time.  Rather than take our hurt and painful feelings on ourselves, we need to take them to God and let Him do the healing and vengeance as He sees fit.   He will take our hurts and in His time He will make the injustices endured by His children made right and there will be a path made to heal your open wounds so that you can start to find His perfect peace again.  Advice to take the matters into your own hands will be given to you from all sides of this broken world, but this is not the Lord's way.  Rather than take your anger out on your oppressor, God asks you to hand it over to Him.  To give our hurts to God and wait on Him is extremely hard and takes a great amount of patience and faith, I know, but that is what we are called to do.  This is one of the hardest disciplines I have ever had to do in my Christian walk, but after I relinquish my anger and hurt, I have felt tremendous peace.  Thank you Lord for being my defender. ~ Amen  

Cursed Enmity

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." ~ Genesis 3:15

This verse refers to the curse God placed on the serpent after Adam and Eve ate from the tree God told them not too; this is the curse between the serpent and mankind from this moment on.  Satan is representative of the serpent and God promised that the serpent would be crushed, but that Satan would also strike at Eve's offsprings' heel.  Even through this verse we can see a foreshadowing of God's promise to take the sneaky devil down.  In this scripture we read that even though Satan; as represented by the serpent, tries to tempt and take Jesus down (Matthew 4:1-11), Jesus' victory over death and the grave have given followers of Christ ultimate victory and will be able to live with Him for eternity.  Satan will be destroyed and crushed and we will have the final victory with our God and King.  Jesus appears to have lost the battle by surrendering on the cross, but everything changes three days later.  The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ "crushed" Satan's plan for mankind and put saving salvation into motion.  This was the first implication that God had a great plan and promise for the human race.  It offers hope of triumph over Satan and his followers/offspring and clues us into the very real threat of spiritual warfare that we will have throughout our walk.  God's curse on the serpent (Satan) is a warning to all of us that Satan is, and will continue to be, our enemy.  Satan roams this earth to hunt us down and destroy us, but he won't be able to do it forever.  Praise God! ~ Amen 

God's Foolishness

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:25

God chose to save the world by sending His only son down to earth only to allow Him to be beaten, mocked and horrifically crucified as if he was a ruthless criminal.  A criminal's death.  In no way does this make any sense to the outside world, or mankind in general and surely not to his beloved twelve.  But what kind of foolishness is it to think one man, one deity at that, can, and would save mankind with a brutal death?  The death of Jesus Christ on a cross seems stupid and out right ridiculous, but God knew what He was doing.  And how heartbreaking must it have been for Him.  When one looks at the cross, whether you are a believer, or not, you have to come to grips with who Jesus Christ is to you in some short order of fashion; do you believe?  Do you think it's just a symbol?  Is it a crazy story to you?  The cross is world-wide; and everyone knows it's origin.  The godless looks at the cross as foolishness, but I look at it as life.  In reality, Christ showed his immense strength even though He was in a weakened state purely for the fact that He stayed on the cruel cross and endures such pain when he could have chose to save himself.  In the end, what mankind views as stupidity, or foolishness ends up being God's wisdom in order to redeem us to Him.  His supposed foolishness is our strength and his supposed weakness is our saving grace! ~ Amen

Your Gods

Where then are the gods you made for yourselves?  Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!  For you have as many gods as you have town, O Judah. ~ Jeremiah 2:28

Boy, in a world full of material things, people, events, sports players, movie stars, money and false hope we need to be careful not to place others before God so that He takes second fiddle to our own selfishness.  Let us remember that where we spend most of our time, or hard earned money is probably where, or what we put first in our lives.  Based on the past week, how has your precious time, or money laid out your priorities?  Work?  Entertainment?  Sports? Gambling?  Your family?  Hobbies?  Screen time (YIKES, guilty here!)? How about God?  Do you see any false Gods you may be placing before the one Lord Almighty?  This is a hard one, I know.  We bring so much sorrow and unnecessary grief when we rebel and wander from God as our first love.  Many times we only invite God into our lives when we are in desperate need of Him.  We don't want to listen to Him when he wants to get into the nitty gritty daily tasks of our life, or how we should spend our money, or how we should treat our co-workers, or how about when we are called to forgive the hurt we have against a family member?  "Oh no!  I can't do that Lord.  No worries.  I got this. Thanks, but no thanks."  Then when that relationship falls apart, or the bak comes to foreclosure on your house, or you find yourself in a health crises, we all of the sudden want God's help.  "HELP!!  I need you!"  Sometimes we treat God like a genie; we only call on Him and put Him fist when all else fails.  We imagine that we can just call Him down, or open the Bible, and POOF!  The truth of the matter is if He had been first the whole time we may not have ever been in the situation we now find ourselves.  Oh if we would only listen the first time.  I wish I had this one nailed down myself, but I don't.  I spend way to much of my time, energy, and money chasing worldly things and relationships; wasting time in activities that won't matter in the end without thinking about God first.  What/who have you put first before God?  He wants a relationship with us always; just not when we think we need Him.  He doesn't want to be USED by you; He wants to be in relationship WITH you.  Maybe it's time to reprioritize. ~ Amen   

Immeasurably More

Now to Him who is able to immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

God is such a good father that He not only wants to answer our prayers, but He wants to do one better - He wants to throw open the flood gates and do more than we could even imagine; immeasurably more.  This scripture gives me great hope, but it comes with the condition that we allow the Holy Spirit to work within our lives according to His will.  We have much more power and help than we could even imagine if we rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our meager lives.  That we have to relinquish all control to Him and trust that He has the best in mind for our lives while we bring Him magnified glory.  This is a daily choice we have to make; one that is not necessarily always easy to do.  First we have to be in active communication with him and understand that He is only trying to do good for us as He works in our lives to bring glory to His name.  We have to be open to the holy imagination that he has for us.  Seek Him, pray to Him, give Him your life to do whatever He sees fit and know that He is working while you give him tremendous thanks for everything He's done and for everything He's going to do.  Let Him open your mind to your selfish dreams and desires and let Him stir in you what He would have for you all to the Almighty's name.  Then you'll see the unimaginable and more happen in your life that you could have never imagined. ~ AMEN