The Truth

Read John 8:31-47

This world we live in is full of varying opinions on just about everything we can think of. And this is true when it comes to our faith in Jesus Christ.

People believe different things based on different lines of rationale and reasoning. Yet Jesus plainly tells us it is the truth that will set us free and that if the Son sets us free, we will be free indeed. What exactly is Jesus talking about here? Read the text again and see that Jesus is referring to those who have no room for Jesus' word. Jesus says you are looking for a way to kill me because you are unlike Abraham, who you claim is your father. Abraham believed God, but these Jewish people Jesus was speaking to were unwilling to believe in God's Son. They were set in believing Jesus' message was not true.

Ever talk with someone who claims to know the will and way of God but after speaking with them you quickly assess they really don't know the God of the Bible? See, so many people create this image of God and their image of God surprisingly reflects the person you are talking with. And their God is really what they think is right, what they think is true.

Listen, as followers of Jesus we are called to know the truth of God. And this truth comes from the word of God. While others may claim to know truth, let's you and I make every effort to know the word of God because by Jesus' word we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

People Matter

Read Matthew 9:35-38

It's easy for us to forget what mattered most to Jesus. It's clear in our passage this week that what mattered most to Jesus is a few things: teaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness of the people. You see, people mattered to Jesus. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. So as He traveled He spoke about the kingdom of God; He cared about their spiritual and physical needs. And then what He said next must stand out to us - He said "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

What mattered to Jesus must matter to us. People are so important to God that He sent His Son to teach us what we need to know about the kingdom of God, to go and help people spiritually and physically.

The question to personally consider is this - am I willing to be God's worker in the harvest field? God desires we all would realize our role and responsibility when it comes to seeking people who are lost and matter so much to the living God.

Ministry Handoff...

Read 1 Kings 19:15-21

The prophet Elijah is commanded to anoint several people to several different roles and responsibilities. The first was to anoint Hazael king over Aram; then Jehu as King over Israel; then Elisha to succeed Elijah.

Do you ever wonder what Elijah must have been thinking after he's told to anoint Elisha? The first two, Hazael and Jehu, they were easier I'm sure for him to accept. But Elisha was going to replace him. And that meant something new and different was going to happen with Elijah.

We're told in v. 21 that Elisha becomes Elijah's attendant, meaning he was going to serve alongside Elijah until the time when the Lord would call Elijah home. And it means Elijah would need to prepare Elisha for replacing him in ministry.

The question we should ask ourselves is who are we preparing to follow us in ministry. Who are we in the process of helping to serve God in our place when it's time for us to pass on our faith to the next generation?

God makes it clear to Elijah and I believe He makes it clear to us, we are to be intentional with preparing the next generation to follow God. And it's important for us to realize this begins with how we are following God ourselves. If we're not following God the way God intends and desires then we'll be passing on something, but not what God wants us to pass on. Let's begin this week with entrusting ourselves to our heavenly Father so when it's time to pass on our faith and ministry to another, we're ready.

The Word of God

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17

What does the phrase word of God mean to you? Recently I had a conversation with someone who claims faith in Christ yet during our conversation it became clear the word of God wasn't something that he believed could be known to be from God. In fact many people today doubt the word of God is in fact from God. They believe it's just something men passed down to one another, kind of like whisper down the lane. Therefore, the word of God for them isn't a matter of this is what the Lord God Almighty says, it's just something men passed down from one generation to the next.

So the question arises, if it isn't the word of God then what is it? More pointedly, then what is it we believe? If we belive it's not the word of God, then what do we believe?

The truth is if we follow this line of reasoning our faith is not much more than you and I believing what we think is right. And that puts us in the position of God - doesn't it? Where what we believe ought to be is what we base our life on and so our lives are nothing more than following ourselves.

Take a look at how Scripture was carefully handed down from God to man and then from one generation to the next and it's hard to believe we can come to the conclusion that the word of God isn't the word of God. From how we got the Bible to Jesus' own words where He quotes the Scripture as the very word of God it is hard to come to the conclusion that we can't trust the word of God as the Word of God.

This week, let's put to memory 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Had Enough?

Read 1 Kings 19:1-18

Ever notice in ministry how there's as many ups as there are downs? That God is always growing our faith even when we're beginning to doubt?

The prophet Elijah, after challenging the most wicked King of Israel, Ahab is now running scared; fearing Ahab's wife Jezebel is going to kill him. So he pleads with God in v. 4 - take my life, I have had enough. Ever feel that way? You've been faithfully following God and yet you are exhausted, tired and wondering if you even want to go on any longer? Elijah is at an all-time low; he wants it all to stop, to be done with the ministry God has called him to. The question is - why is he feeling this way?

He believes he's the only one left who is zealous for the LORD God Almighty and that "The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword." He says "I'm the only one left and now they are trying to kill me to."

God replies - that's not true. We may feel like Elijah, that we've given it all we've got and that we're all alone. But God is saying to us what He's saying to Elijah - that's not true. You are not alone. I am with you and there are others who are faithfully following the true God of Israel.

If you're feeling discouraged and feel like you've had enough please read this story and hear the gentle whisper of God. Since we're not dead, we're not done. God has more for you and me to do. And until we breathe our last breath, let's believe God is with us and that there are more faithful followers trusting and serving the living God of Israel and we're not alone. If God is for us, who can be against us!

Learning in the Valley (pt 2)

God does not want negative elements from the past to lie around our lives and cause us trouble. Each of us is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and He wants us to be clean and usable vessels. We have no reason to allow the rubbish of the past to remain in our lives for years---old memories, haunting temptations, the baggage of unresolved hurts and unreconciled relationships. The Lord desires that we free ourselves of anything that might keep us in inner bondage, whether mentally, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually. When we become complacent in accepting the hurts of the past as part of who we are, the Lord may bring a little adversity to lead us to pursue instead who we might be in Christ Jesus.

The effective lesson leads to change in behavior

Teachers often prepare behavioral objectives for their classroom lectures. These objectives list in concrete and measurable form the behaviors that the teacher desires for a student to display as proof that the student has learned the lesson. The lessons that the Lord teaches us through adversity are ultimately for that purpose: a change of behavior, including a change in the belief that prompted the behavior.

It isn't enough that the Lord gets our attention or that we engage in self-examination. We can see a problem and know ourselves thoroughly, but unless we change our response to God in some way, we will never benefit fully from adversity or grow as a result of it.

Self-examination may feel painful. But remember, whatever you find within yourself, Jesus Himself came to help you carry that burden to the cross and deal with it there, once and for all. He has your best interest in mind. He knows that pain sometimes paves the path to complete healing and restoration.

If you are willing to allow God to surface the inner rubbish of your life, and if you are willing to change what needs to be changed, you will emerge from adversity closer to Christ, more mature as His child, and with far greater potential to reflect the love of God to the world around you.

Devotional written by Jim Runkle (parts adapted from Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministries)

Learning In the Valley (pt 1)

Read Psalm 25

"We Learn More In Our Valley Experiences Than On Our Mountaintops"

Adversity, anguish, trial, tribulations, and heartaches operate as lessons in the school of experience. They bring us to a place of new insight and understanding; they can alter our perception of the world and of God, and lead us to change our behavior. The Lord, of course, is the ultimate Teacher. He is the One to whom we must look for the meaning of any lesson related to adversity.

God allows adversity for different reasons:

God uses adversity to get our attention

The Lord uses a wide variety of methods to gain our attention when necessary; adversity is one of them. One of the best responses I know to adversity that strikes us suddenly---and yet obviously---with a God-intended message is to turn to Psalm 25 and make it our personal prayer:


1 O Lord, I give my life to you.
    2 I trust in you, my God!
   Do not let me be disgraced,
      or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
 3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
      but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

 4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
      point out the road for me to follow.
 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
      for you are the God who saves me.
      All day long I put my hope in you.
 6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
      which you have shown from long ages past.
 7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
      Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
      for you are merciful, O Lord.
Psalm 25:1-7

Don't delay in responding to the Lord when He moves to get your attention. Respond quickly and humbly. Hear what He has to say to you.

Adversity leads to examination

At times God sees fit to allow adversity into our lives to motivate us to self-examination. The winds of adversity blow away the surface issues and force us to cope with things on a deeper level. Adversity removes the cloak of what we are supposed to be reveal the truth of who we are. The "real us" shows through.

We are to regularly examine both our faith and ourselves. Paul encouraged the Corinthians, "Let a man examine himself" (1 Cor. 11:28). In other words, "Take an inquisitive look inside and discover what is driving you, motivating you, and enticing you."

Devotional written by Jim Runkle (parts adapted from Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministries -Part 2 of 2 will be available next week)

By Faith

Read Colossians 2:6-7

When so much can be said with so few words there's something to be said about the power of the point being made. Colossians 2:6-7 points out probably the most powerful words we've ever heard.

Paul, writing to the Colossians says just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him. There it is! We receive Christ as the forgiver of our sins and the leader of our lives by faith. So just as we received him Paul writes continue by faith to walk in Him. Simple message, difficult to accomplish. But only difficult to accomplish if we try and go it alone. The Holy Spirit was given to us as a helper, a comforter who will come and live within us (that's why Jesus said it was better for us that He goes so that the Spirit may come and indwell us). And as we walk by faith in relationship with Christ the Holy Spirit will enable us with His power and guidance and correction and instruction to rooted and built up and strengthened in our faith.

There's no other way for followers of Christ to continue in faith than by allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to walk with us as we desire to be in relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our God gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1) so we are fully capable with His provision to live in a powerful relationship with our Creator and Sustainer God. His plan is that by faith we'll walk with Him, talk with Him, enjoy Him, be with Him and give glory to Him. This week be reminded that our walk of faith begins and continues with this simple plan of God - that we would trust in our Almighty God every step of every day of our lives.

Holding or Folding?

Read Judges 2:1-13

So much of life is held in the balance between holding on and folding. We tend to wrestle with this tension so much that we don't even pay it much attention because we just accept it as the way things are. This tension exists in many areas of life but I think it exists especially when we consider what one generation passes on to the next.

When we think about it we find that we're one generation removed from so many things being obsolete. And this is so true when it comes to our faith. Read Judges 2:1-13 and you'll see this generational tension existed back in the days of the Judges.

The issue Israel faced was as soon as Joshua and his generation had passed away, along with those elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel, the next generation slid right back into evil practices. They began forsaking God because they "knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel." Friends, that's one generation away from some pretty amazing history of God working in the lives of the Israelites and their faith folded like a tent. Is this possible in our lifetime? Is it possible that if we're not careful the generation that follows us won't be holding on to their faith but folding like Israel?

Jesus made it very clear He expects us to be men and women of faith who "go and make disciples." So who are you discipling? Think about it, pray about it and be about it! That's what we're here to do - so go and make disciples so the next generation will hold on and pass on our faith for generations to come.

Returning Home

Read Ruth 1:1-18
Everyone loves a good story. In the book of Ruth that's exactly what we get. But it doesn't start out that way. It starts with what appears to be a young family in Bethlehem living at a time when they are experiencing a famine. So this family moves to Moab. The husband, Elimelech who was Naomi's husband dies leaving her with two boys in a foreign land. Her sons marry Moabite women but themselves die after living in Moab for about ten years. Now she's left alone as a widow, in a foreign land, without a husband and without her boys. However, she now has two daughters-in-law.

Naomi finds herself as they used to say in the old days, in a pickle. She's in a bad situation. She sees that she has nothing left, her husband and then her sons are all gone. And she's away from home. So she hears the famine in Bethlehem is over and she makes the decision to return home. Her decision affects her daughters-in-law. Orpah decides to stay in Moab but Ruth was determined to go with Naomi. In fact, she tells Naomi "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."

Think about that! I believe there was something about Naomi's faith that showed itself to Ruth so that Ruth was more than willing to go with Naomi to her home rather than stay where she was originally from. When Ruth says your God will be my God that is a huge statement we should always consider.

Question - when people see your life, when they see my life would they respond like Ruth saying your God will be my God? If yes, way to represent! If no, why not? Let's be men and women who are about representing God with our lives so that others would see our Great God in us and through us!

What If...

Read Titus 1:10-16

What if we took Jesus' command to follow Him seriously? What would that look like for us as a church? What would that mean for you and I personally? Would we live differently than we do right now?

Think about it - when Jesus called His first disciples He called them to a new life, a new way of living. They left their old ways and started living according to a new way - Jesus' way.

If we were to honestly evaluate our lives could we honestly say we are following the words and ways of Christ Jesus? Listen most of us can say we believe in Jesus - in His words and ways. But have they affected us to the point of touching our heart to the extent that it actually changes the way we live? We're not talking about behavior modification; we're talking about a change of heart where our greatest desire is to live for Him in every single way possible.

The apostle Paul said in Titus 1:16 that many claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. Wow! That is quite an indictment about the heart condition of so many in Paul & Titus' day. And I believe it's still quite true in our day.

So what are we to do? I think it all comes down to two things. First it's about making a decision that we will do everything within our power to follow Jesus' call to Follow Him. And second, that begins with submitting to the power of the Holy Spirit. When we choose to follow it begins by responding to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let's make that decision today - to live and love God by fully following Him with the help and power of the Holy Spirit.

The Games People Play

Read Galatians 6:1-9

Everyone plays games. Games are fun, engaging, challenging and exciting. From the age of a toddler up to retirement age, everyone enjoys a good game. From peek a boo to gyn rummy and other card games we all like games. However, there are games people play that aren't acceptable before God. These games are games we play because we want things our way. They're games we play because we think we know better. And they're games we play because we lack respect for the will of God.

Probably the biggest of all the games people play is the game of playing God. Growing up I remember the game - king of the mountain where you'd find a hill and whoever was on top was the king and all others were trying to knock the "king" off the hill so he/she could become the king of the hill. The truth is we play this game with our faith more often than we should.

Galatians 6 gives us some instruction about how to avoid playing games like this. If we know someone is in sin we're told to restore them gently. This means speaking to them kindly about God's truth. Paul says we're to carry each other's burdens and at the same time carry our own load. This means we're responsible for ourselves as well as helping others in following Christ. And then the warning he gives is we're not to play games - don't be deceived he says because God will not be mocked. We will reap what we sow.

God desires from all His children that our walk match our talk. He wants our faith to be filled with His grace, truth and mercy. Yet so often we hedge our bets and try to justify our behavior even when it opposes the word and will of God. Listen, God is the One and Only Justifier. So we have to heed his commands and obey. Jesus said it best - if you love me you will obey my commands. And this is only possible when we've decided to live a Holy Spirit-led life and not a self-led life.

Living at Peace

Read Romans 12:18

This one little verse is so important to understanding our responsibility when it comes to living at peace. For many, living at peace seems so elusive, almost impossible to be sure. But when we come across Romans 12:18 in God's word we're reminded of our role in the peace process.

Paul writes 'if it is possible.' There's an implication that comes with this instruction. The implication is peace isn't always possible. But the command is 'as far as it is possible live at peace with one another.' This provides a second implication - that we have a responsibility up to a certain point to do what we can to live at peace with others.

Friends the truth is some people just don't want to make peace. For whatever reason, they choose to live in conflict. Maybe it's pride or maybe it's anger or maybe it's just this desire to make others pay for whatever pain they've experiencing. The truth is hurt people hurt people. Yet God doesn't want us willfully taking part in that process. He wants His children representing Him by living at peace with one another as far as it depends on us because this represents exactly who He is. God never asks us to do anything He's unwilling to do Himself. He is the ultimate peacemaker - doing everything possible to ensure we have access to peace with Him.

Listen, life is all about relationships. Our relationship with God and our relationship with one another. And since we're created to live at peace with God and each other, let's consider the peace we have with each. If you have never come into a peace relationship with God please consider Jesus. He is God's perfect expression of His love and peace for all of us. And what Jesus asks is that we make a decision to follow Him because without Him we're unable to experience a right and peaceful relationship with God the Father. For those of us who have peace with God, maybe for us we're at odds with someone else. So for us it's time we take this relationship to God in prayer asking Him what and how He wants us to do so that if it is possible, as far as it depends on us we can live at peace with one another.

Worthy

Read Acts 20:1-38

Worthy - it's a word many of us know and some ascribe to ourselves. And we do this because we believe (at times at least) like we're deserving. At times we live with an entitlement mind-set. However, we know of only One who ever lived that was truly worthy, truly entitled and deserving of our praise - Jesus Christ.

Listen the passage in Acts 20 speaks of Paul's many trials and difficulties as he was living his life fully devoted to Jesus. And what strikes me most is what he says drives him toward this life. He says it in v. 24 - I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Oh how all of us should be as passionate as Paul, considering our life worth nothing unless we finish the race God's given us personally to testify to the gospel of God's grace.

Now why was Paul able to say this? It's because he understood the gospel and he understood God's grace. He had a right perspective when it came to realizing God is worthy because He sent Jesus with the good news that God's grace is available to sinners like you and me. So Paul's full devotion, his daily life was a living sacrifice and reminder to all who came into his life that God's grace is enough; that God's worthy of our worship.

Worship God this week as you moment by moment give Him thanks with your life!

One Life To Live

Read 2 Kings 5:1-15

We all have one life to live. The question is - how are you going to live your life?

There's a great story in 2 Kings 5 that tells us about a young servant girl who gets kidnapped. Now you'd think her life was over. You'd think her life would result maybe in bitterness and complaints, excuses and anger. But quite the opposite happens. While serving her captor's wife she said - If only my master (Naaman - commander of the army of the king of Aram) would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.

She does what many of us might consider at a minimum questionable. How could she consider what's in the best interest of her kidnapper? Helping him with his leprosy by advising his wife that he needs to go see the prophet in Israel. But isn't that exactly what God sent Jesus to us to do? Jesus came to do the unthinkable. Offer a solution to people like you and me who are not worthy of the solution provided. But God's love trumps all things when He sends us Jesus to cure us of our illness, much like Naaman who would eventually be cured of his sickness.

However, we're a lot like Naaman. When told what it's going to take to be cured, Naaman scoffs at going into the water and immersing himself seven times and then he'd be healed. He expects; he wants something bigger and greater than this. And so do we. We want to be able to do something for ourselves so when we're told there's one way to a right relationship with God; there's one way to being cured of our sickness we'd prefer to do it our way instead. Listen, only when we submit to God's plan of grace and mercy can we receive this greatest gift that's ever been offered to mankind.

Friends, we can learn from this servant girl and we can learn from Naaman. We have one life to live. How do we intend to live it? Live life with the understanding of God's plan that only Christ can save us from our sins; and live life with willingness to submit to His way instead of our own.

Lamp and Light

Read Psalm 119:105

If this Psalm is right, that God's word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, then shouldn't the word of God be not just a top priority in my life and yours but shouldn't it be THE top priority?

All throughout God's word we're told of the benefits and success that come from hiding God's word in our heart. Joshua 1:8 says - Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Listen if we want success in life God's word is the answer to what we need in our lives because it tells us everything about Him and everything about how He wants us to live. Spend time this week allowing God's word to be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. And be creative with it. We all know there's different ways to get God's word into our lives. We can read scripture, listen to sermons and play our favorite Christian music. All are filled with God's word. Do what works for you but remember to get God's word in your life.

Finding Our Way

Read John 14:1-6

Jesus says He's the Way, the Truth and the Life. These are huge claims! And if true, they should change everything about our lives.

He's the Way because He's our Savior, the only one who lived a perfect, holy and sacrificial life. Therefore, able to satisfy the payment for sin by His death on the cross. He's the Truth because He's our great Teacher. His words and promises all come true. He says only what the Father wants Him to say and He wants His disciples trusting His wisdom for godly living. And He's the Life because He's our great Provider. There's this gift of the Holy Spirit He provides the powers us to spirit-led living.

Friends, God wants us Finding Our Way home. This is only possible by accepting Jesus as the forgiver of our sins and leader of our lives. Jesus says no one comes to the Father except through Him. And no one means no one!

Let's respond by letting the whole world hear of this great and good news!!

Love One Another

Read John 13:34-35

For us there's nothing new about Jesus' command in John 13:34-35 and there's nothing confusing about it, it's easy to understand. So why is it so difficult to follow?

Two reasons come to mind. First we try to do this on our own. God wants us living Spirit-led lives, not self-led. But too often we insist on our way instead of God's. Second reason is we aren't as committed as we think we are.

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

Our biggest obstacle with this command is ourselves. We live as if this passage said, Love yourself. But Jesus tells us to love others and that's the true test of discipleship. Are we loving with the words and wisdom of Christ so that we offer this world a verbal and visual witness to Jesus Christ.

Let's submit to the power of the Holy Spirit who will empower us to live for Christ so the whole world will know we are His.

Are You a Firefighter?

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

As a kid I often remember being asked - what do you want to be when you grow up? And I'd hear other kids answers - doctor, police officer, and some would say a firefighter. All noble and good professions but this last one is something Christians are told in scripture not to be; not professionally, but spiritually.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 and you'll see we're told not to put out the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In other words, as believers and followers of Christ we have the Holy Spirit living in us. So we have this power to do amazing things for God because we have Christ's resurrection power indwelling us. Paul writes this warning to help us remember we have this amazing power but we also have the power to put out the Spirit's fire.

How do we do this? By living a self-led vs. a Spirit-led life. Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit will come into our lives, be our Comforter and our Helper, and enable us to live powerfully for the Kingdom of God. The ultimate question becomes are we going to live on God's Holy Spirit power or try and do life living on our own limited power.

Let's not try to just get by in life, instead let's live in such a way that when others see our lives they'll be like the prophets of Baal when they encountered the Most High God in the life of Elijah and the prophets of God who said: Your Lord, He is God! This is only possible when we're not fighting the fire of God that's inside every believer of Jesus Christ. Friends, make a decision today to be Holy Spirit led in every part of your life.

Following Wholeheartedly

Read Joshua 14:1-15

Admittedly, some times reading the Old Testament can be difficult. But there's always something we can take from the Old Testament because God's word is given to inform and inspire us in our faith relationship with God. Joshua 14 is an example of this.

Reading through the book I came across chapter 14 and saw these verses speaking about Caleb - I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.

The question is, can we say this about our relationship with God? That we follow Him wholeheartedly? I think too often we want Him to follow us and incorporate Himself into our lives. But the fact is, God calls us to follow Him; not the other way around.

The challenge this week is to try and answer this question honestly. And if we're not following God wholeheartedly lets allow God to help us understand why we're not trusting Him the way we're called to trust.

Living By the Power

Read Job 1:1-5

Job lived by the power of God. We know this because this book begins with a description of Job's life - In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright, he feared God and shunned evil.

We tend to believe if we're living like Job that life is going to run smoothly for us. But even if we just skimmed the pages of Job's story we find this isn't the case with Job. And experience tells us this isn't the case for us either. The truth is we're called to be blameless and upright, to fear God and to shun evil no matter what situation we find ourselves in. Now none of this is possible if we're not living by the power of God.

Jesus promised us something better was coming. He said it was good for us, followers of Christ, that He go back to heaven because then the Holy Spirit would come, live inside us and empower us to live with the power of God. Friends, make no mistake about it - we are not immune from difficulties simply because we are followers of Christ. In fact, we're told just the opposite. In this life we will face trouble but fear not because Jesus has overcome the world.

We can be overcomers so long as we rely on living by the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. The question we need to consider is are we going to live by the power of the Spirit or the power of self. Everyone is going to face trouble, that's a guarantee. How we're going to face that trouble is up to us. Are we going to face it trusting the power of the Holy Spirit or are we going to face it with our own power.

As for me and my house, we're going to trust the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength and mind no matter what comes our way.

True Worshipers

Read John 4:21-23

What the Father wants is worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and truth. What a great desire. Is it a desire in our lives? To worship God in spirit and truth?

Listen so often people say they love God, people say He is the most important thing in their lives but at the end of the day it's just what a lot of people say. Maybe it's something they say because it's what they want to be true in their lives but they don't understand what it takes to make it true. Allow me to encourage with a few words of what it takes.

First it takes understanding. Some are unaware what God wants. So it's the responsibility of Christ followers to help younger brothers and sisters to understand what God desires. Talk with your friends, listen to them and ask questions so you know what they understand and what they don't. Then ask permission. Ask if they would be willing to have you help them walk with Christ so that God would see them as worshipers who worship in spirit and truth. Finally, inspire them to learn. Encourage them to know how they best relate to God and help motivate them to connect with God according to their personal learning style. Some of us learn best by connecting with God in thought, others in passion and still others through action. So whether your faith is a faith of the mind, heart or hands press on toward becoming a true worshiper of our amazing God.

Miracles

Read Matthew 8

Jesus' miracles in the Bible seem so routine that we can miss the power and love expressed in everything He ever did. When I read through Matthew 8 recently a few things stood out about His miracles.

What I first noticed was how people came to Him to ask for His help. There was something about Him, something different about Jesus that drew people to Him. Second, I noticed Jesus' response was different each time. There wasn't a prescribed way Jesus performed His miracles. For some He touched the person He was going to heal and for others He simply spoke and the miracle happened. Lastly, I noticed the response of the people involved in every miracle wasn't the same. Some were told to go to the priests and make an offering as a testimony of the miracle. Others believed Jesus could simply speak and heal, so their trust and faith in God was praised by Jesus. And others were terrified of Jesus' power so they asked Him to leave town.

What we need to think about when it comes to Jesus' miracles is whether or not we trust Jesus has the power to perform miracles today. I know it's a tough thought but really - do we think Jesus can do the miracles of His day in ours? Friends a miracle is something only God can do. Sometimes I think we call miracles thinks that fall outside this definition of miracles. But let's remember our God is able to do anything and that His power and love is just as active today as it was in His day. So let's believe God can perform the miracle of salvation in the lives of our loved ones and trust He's going to do it. And don't forget, this trust includes our participation in doing whatever part God desires from us.

Love of a Lifetime

Read Revelation 2:1-7

October 3, 1992 holds a special place in my heart because that's the day my wife and I said our "I Do's" to each other. And on that day we celebrated and danced to a kind of edgy rock ballad by a relatively unknown band Firehouse called Love of a Lifetime. I still enjoy hearing this song to this day because one of the lyrics affirms how I feel about my wife. It says - with you I never wonder will you be there for me, with you I never wonder if you're the right one for me. Listen, I'm not saying this for any other reason than it's true. My wife is the right one for me who will always be there for me; she's the right one for me.

As much as that's true in my marital relationship, God is truly the one we should never wonder about; He's always there and always the right one for us. Yet sadly, all too often, we forget Him as our love of a lifetime. We forget Him much like what's written about in Revelation 2 about the Ephesians. Read Revelation 2:1-7 and remember that God is our first and only true love of a lifetime. He wants our devotion, our passion, and our life to be all about our relationship with Him.

Take some time this week and reflect if there's anything in your life that's taking God's place as your love of a lifetime. Is there anything right now that is taking God's place in your life right now? If there is, confess it and spend time with God this week rekindling your relationship.

Great and Glorious

Read 1 Chronicles 16:1-12

Music has an amazing ability to communicate from the heart. The Old Testament is filled with passages telling how Israel would praise God by singing to Him and telling of all His wonderful acts.

Recently I was listening to a new song called Great and Glorious. It's from a group I heard about from the United Kingdom. And I'll tell you it simply is a great celebration of the greatness of God. To hear the song and the musicians and the vocalists united together in praise is an amazing sound. Now this group is part of a church in the UK that has about 2,500 attenders every week. Can you imagine singing God's great and glorious together and how amazing that must be? Friends I'm sure that pales in comparison what's going on in heaven right now. Just think of the praise that must be going on right now before the throne of God! He is holy and perfect, deserving of all our praises.

If you agree with me I think we can begin praising God now, before we meet Him face to face. Spend time this week worshipping how Great and Glorious our God is.

Faith Fitness

Read 1 Timothy 4

Lately I've seen so many friends sharing how they are working toward new fitness goals. And truly it's been amazing to see how many are committed to "shaping" up for the summer. I've noticed so many who are slimming down and really feeling healthier as a result. After speaking with these friends what's also interesting is their energy level is way up and they've all shared how good they feel with their results. But they've also shared how much effort is involved as well. Simply said, it's hard work.

First Timothy 4:8 says physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Friends, I see people everyday at the gym working so hard to get or stay in shape. And yet spiritual training we're told has value for all things. The question is - how hard are we working to get or stay in spiritual shape? What goals do we have to be spiritually healthy? Our faith fitness is so much more important than our physical fitness.

Paul tells Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and teaching the word and to not neglect his spiritual gift. He finishes by saying make sure you commit your life to sound doctrine. If we can think of Paul as a spiritual fitness trainer what we should follow from his instructions is that we must identify the spiritual gifts God has given us and then put them into practice. And we must always be sure we know the truth from God's word. In other words, the exercises we use to stay in spiritual shape should be to follow the word of God by studying His word closely and we should insist on knowing what "exercises" (spiritual gifts) work for us. God's designed us uniquely so He wants all of us to work our spiritual muscles according to His plan.

Collectively we're referred to as the body of Christ. So together we should be flexing our spiritual muscles so that God's plan of salvation can influence the body of Christ and the world we live in. Stay close to this exercise routine of studying God's word and using your spiritual gifts and you'll be sure to healthier spiritually than ever before.

Impaired Vision

Hebrews 12:1-2

So many of us today are living with impaired vision. As I've gotten older I've noticed when reading the need to hold whatever I'm attempting to read further and further from my eyes. I simply can't see when somethings too close to me anymore. And isn't that the truth when it comes to whatever is happening in our life right now? The closer something is to us, especially when it's happening to us, the more difficult it is to see. Similarly we all have imperfect, impaired vision.

The Bible uses Hebrews 12:1-2 to tell us about seeing Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, for the purpose of encouraging us to focus our eyes, ultimately our attention on what really matters - Jesus. The stuff going on in our lives should all be viewed through the lens of Jesus Christ. No matter what we face we have a perfect example who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorned it's shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This tells us a few things about fixing our eyes on Jesus. First it says Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith. It means He knows what's best, He's been there before and knows what we're facing. Yet He was without sin and was able to live according to God's plan and with God's power. Friends, this life is available to us. But we must believe it and we must trust God's vision, how He sees things is better than how we see what's going on in our lives right now. Second thing it tells us is Jesus considered His suffering joy. Now this is a tough one to understand. Because I don't know about you but I don't consider pain joyfully. But Jesus' example tells us He could do this because He knew the benefit of His suffering for those He loves. Think about it this way, the suffering we face is for the benefit of ourselves and more importantly it's also for others. So at the same time we're suffering we're fulfilling the Great Commandment. We're being faithful to God and therefore loving God with everything we've got. And we're loving our neighbor as ourselves. Last thing this tells us about fixing our eyes on Jesus is He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This means all His suffering was worth it. This means He sat down where? At the throne of God which means He sat down in VICTORY! Friends we too will one day fully realize we are sitting down in VICTORY with Christ where we'll reign with Him forever and ever. Amen.

Let's trust the author and perfector of our faith and fix our eyes on Jesus all the time.

Arrested Spiritual Development?

Read Hebrews 5:12

Ever come across a passage of scripture and think that verse or that passage is a bit in your face? Sometimes when I come across a passage like that I stop and wonder about the direct approach used by God, Jesus, Paul and so many others. I wonder is it an approach we use much today and if so is it effective?

Well the passage today in Hebrews 5:12 is one of those passages. Simply said the statement made is some in the faith weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing. They were supposed to be able to teach others about the faith but instead they were still in need of someone to teach them the basic, elementary truths of God's word all over again.

I read an article awhile ago about the difference between making decisions for Christ and making disciples for Christ. Think about it. What's the difference? Making a decision for Christ should include discipleship but sadly that's not always the case. When someone comes to faith in Christ we must make sure they understand the call to follow Christ. We're interested in two things: redemption and regeneration. Redemption comes as a result of us accepting the finished work of Jesus on the cross where He paid for our sins once and for all. It has nothing to do with our effort and everything to do with His. But regeneration is a new life. It's a new life we're called to live and that requires effort on our part.

In this case in Hebrews, these believers we're told should be maturing in their faith so that they might be able to teach others about the "elementary truths of God's word." May all of us be focused on maturing in our faith, growing in our relationship with Christ so that we might be able to pass on our faith.

Meditation is the Key

Read Joshua 1:8

I don't know about you, but the older I get the less I remember. With me, the worst is names. I may even know your name, we might have known each other for years and years but if I'm in need of instantly recalling your name at times, I got nothing. I can't remember names or they come more slowly than they used to. What about you? How's your memory? Are you able to remember details of your childhood? What about important places and dates? How about lessons you've learned over the years?

My suspicion is we all have the ability to remember, but maybe we don't take the time to train ourselves to do so. I know with me I'm supposed to be taking certain vitamins to help with my memory and you know what? You guessed it - I forget to take them. However, if I was promised $1,000 every day I took those little pills you better believe I wouldn't forget. How about you?

Here's the thing, we remember what's most important to us. Bottom line, that's the truth. I can tell you things that I really shouldn't be able to remember but I'm able to because they hold a certain significance to me. And you can do the same.

God in His word has something to say about what's important for all of us to remember. Read Joshua 1:8. As Joshua is going into the Promised Land he's told not to let the Book of the Law depart from his mouth. He should know God's word so well that he's able to speak it with clarity as he leads God's people. And God tells him the way to remember the Law is to meditate on it every day and every night. Friends, we all meditate everyday. It's called worry. Whatever captures our attention is what we go over and over again in our mind. That's meditation. So Joshua's told to go over and over again in his mind the word of God. Why? Two reasons are given. First, so he will be assured that knowing the word he will be careful to do everything written in the Law. Second, he will be successful. I don't know anyone who wants to fail.

Let's take the time to begin training our minds on the word of God. Take some time this week and memorize Joshua 1:8. It's a great place to start and after you've committed it to memory, continue. Continue finding verses, even passages, of scripture that will help you walk with God every day and every night.

Under Construction

Read Deuteronomy 7:9

Recently we've been working with some contractors and getting different quotes on a few jobs we are having done at our home. These are different types of jobs but jobs that for the most part have needed to be done since we moved in. When I asked my wife why we didn't do these sooner she reminded me that while we've been in our "new" home for ten years this summer that our home has been under construction pretty much since day one. So I began to think about all the jobs we've worked on together over the years and you know what? She's right - we have done a lot of work on this house. Kind of reminds us when we were buying the house of the words of our realtor who said this house has potential (word of caution to any buying a new home - this means it has a lot of work to be done).

Anyway, when I think of the work we've done or the work we've had done by others I'm reminded that some jobs I was really looking forward to having done and finishing while others I was like who can get excited about a new roof or installing new drywall after ripping out the old and/or stripping wall paper. And I can't help but think about the parallel between our homes and our hearts. God has had our hearts under construction since the day we met Him personally. There's things in our lives that we're excited to see what God is going to do but then there's those areas where we'd rather not go there if you know what I mean. Maybe for some it's bitterness and maybe for others it's forgiveness, while others might be dealing with issues of the heart that pertain to a broken relationship - like a marriage or a parent/child relationship or maybe a friend who is hurting because of an addiction. Whatever it is, God is in the construction business. His desire is to build us up with courage and strength to face together with Him whatever it is we need to face.

Friends, please read Deuteronomy 7:9. And this week just meditate on this about our amazing God. He is always faithful and always keeps His word to those who follow Him.

Father - we thank you for your faithfulness to us. Help us be faithful followers of you. We know we are always under construction and we thank you for this because we are your children who you call to be holy. May we live life for you knowing your good purpose and plan for every one of us is to bring glory to your great name!!

It's His Goodness...

Read Deuteronomy 9

Are we there yet? How many of us have heard this question, asked this question when going on a long trip? Then we can imagine the Israelites as we read Deuteronomy 9 asking this same question - are we there yet.

Friends, what I want us to focus on after we've read this chapter in Israel's history is the discussion in verse 4 and following where God let's Israel know He is driving out the inhabitants of Canaan (the Promised Land) because of their wickedness and that they are not to think (verse 6) that it has anything to do with Israel's righteousness. You see God then goes on to explain how Israel since the time they left Egypt had been rebellious. He reminds them of their disobedience and lack of trust in Him as their good God. Please don't miss this - God is revealing that they too are a wicked nation. However, it is He who chose Israel to be His people and Moses goes to bat in defense of Israel. Not because they are deserving; but because of who God is He pleads with God for their redemption.

Only when we know the goodness of God like Moses can we truly trust Him. You see, Moses was able to pray for Israel and approach God based on what He knew about God. He knew God is a just God, but He also knew God is a good God. He knew God so well that he was able to trust Him with Israel's future.

And this needs to be true with us. We are rebellious - just like Israel. We are prone to go our own way, do our own thing because at the end of the day we are often at odds with God in our attitudes and actions. But God wants us to know Him so well that we learn to trust that what He asks of us is ALWAYS good for us. It's His Goodness we need come to know and love. And it's important that we know how to come to know His goodness. Psalm 34:8 says taste and see that the Lord is good.

Do you know the goodness of God? Have you been witness to His goodness in your life? Let me encourage you to take time and simply consider how good God has been to you. No matter what we face, when we take time we can see it; we can see His goodness. He's good because of who He is and not because of what He does. But what He does gives us plenty to draw on to see His absolute goodness. Consider His unconditional love for you; consider His unwavering devotion to us in spite of sometimes we are not unwavering in our devotion to Him; and consider how good it is that He wants to have a growing and loving relationship with each one of us.

Blessed Revelation

Read Revelation 1:1-3

The book of Revelation is either loved or hated. We're either hot and bothered by it's contents or we're luke warm to it. What I'd suggest is before we make up our minds about being indifferent to the writings of Revelation that we read Revelation 1:1-3 first.

We're told in verse three that everyone who reads these words of this prophecy is blessed when they hear the words and takes to heart what is written in it because the time is near. You see I know so many people who simply want to settle for themselves that Revelation says Jesus is coming back and that's all that really matters. While that's true, He is coming back and that is what really matters, it's not all that really matters. It's very clear the revelation John received and recorded is about the consummation of all things and those who make reading and taking to hear Revelation are blessed!

Friends we all know prophecy can be extremely difficult to read and understand. But with this promise of blessing it's most definitely a book that's worth reading. Let's take the time to know ALL of God's word; ALL of His promises: and ALL of His plans for human history. While it won't be easy, it will be worth it. Take some time, little by little and read the book that promises blessing. Take some time and take to heart what God has for all who desire to know God fully by reading and taking to heart EVERYTHING He has to say to each and everyone of us.

Make Him Known

Read Isaiah 43:1-13

One of my favorite TV shows is Law and Order. While I enjoy the investigation into the crime, what I enjoy most is the court room drama. I love it when the prosecuting or defense attorney is questioning the witnesses involved in the case. The key for both sides is to get the truth out of each witness so justice will be served.

When it comes to the Bible, we're told a lot about the importance of Israel in the Old Testament and disciples in the New Testament and how we're supposed to be God's witnesses in this world. Read Isaiah 43:1-13 and you'll see how our purpose is to know God and make Him known in this world. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says right before He ascends into Heaven that as His followers we will be His witnesses. So that leads us to the question - what's a witness?

A witness is simply someone who testifies (tells the truth) about what they know. Now as God's witness in this world our testimony comes from what we know to be the truth about God. Logic demands that we'll get to know God very well by spending time with Him. How is it you enjoy spending time with God? Some enjoy being with God on a long prayer walk; others enjoy being with God alone with Him, reading His word the Bible; and others enjoy being with other disciples, followers of Christ in various ways but worshiping Him as they are together. Whatever your way is, however you enjoy spending time with God, do so more and more! And as you grow in your knowledge of Him remember we are His witnesses. So let's make Him known!

The Blessed Life

Read Matthew 5:1-13

Everyone wants to be happy. Years ago there was even a song about it - I think the title was Don't Worry Be Happy. And what's true today about this pursuit of happiness was true in Jesus' day as well.

Jesus' teaching, His sermon in Matthew 5 was something new. It was something different than what the crowds were accustomed to hearing. They were used to hearing messages from the Pharisees, so it's important when we read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to keep this in mind. Jesus desired to teach the truth about the Kingdom of God and how individuals could enter God's kingdom. So he talks about how they could have a blessed life by giving the people what a righteous God expects from his people in the Kingdom.

The person rightly related to the King is repeatedly described as "blessed". This word comes from the Latin word beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy". This is why the blessings in Matthew 5 are called the beatitudes. And Jesus knows as He's speaking that this crowd He's talking to is interested in the good life. But His message is intended to bring clarity to what the good and happy life is all about. You see this world tells us something different than what God would tell us about happiness.

The blessings Jesus speaks of to the crowd tells of people who are at peace with God, their neighbor and himself/herself. The follower of Jesus, His disciples, have an abiding sense of peace because they are informed of several promises: he will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (5:3), expects to be comforted (5:4), looks forward to a certain future on earth (5:5), anticipates the satisfaction of justice and righteousness (5:6), awaits the granting of mercy (5:7), knows he will live with God as His child (5:8), and will be greatly rewarded in heaven (5:11-12). One commentator says it this way, "The Beatitudes pronounce those blessed, or happy, who fulfill these six standards of the kingdom in character and experience." So the disciple can be happy in this life and live as Jesus says as salt and light (5:13-16) knowing this fulfilling Kingdom future awaits every disciple of Jesus.

Friends we all want a blessed life. So let's start by getting our message from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount what it truly means to be happy in this life and the life to come. God's blessings!!

Going too far

Read Numbers 16:1-35

Turn on the news today and you'd be hard pressed to not come across news of conflict. Conflicts exist all over the world today and we can hardly get through the first few minutes of any newscast and not find ourselves listening to conflict where one or more of the parties involved had gone too far.

Take a look at Numbers 16 and early on in the third verse we find this newsflash of conflict between the community leaders of Israel coming out and having one of the first recorded public protests known to man. There were 250 community leaders coming out in opposition to Moses and Aaron. Their claim against Moses and Aaron was this - "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"

Moses and Aaron didn't take these charges lightly. They responded with a coming challenge from God who will make it clear we're told who is holy. They replied to these community leaders - "You Levites have gone too far!"

Reading the rest of the story we see God making it clear who is holy and who is not. The long and short of this story is this - those who are holy follow God. It's that simple. These community leaders were challenging God's anointed leaders. These community leaders were challenging God's divine direction for His people. And ultimately what happens is God pronounces judgment on these 250 men who were consumed by fire.

It is often difficult to connect Biblical stories to our daily lives, especially when it comes from the Old Testament book of Numbers. But the connection of this story to our lives is clear to see. What we need to remember from this story in our lives I believe is this - God wants us living holy lives, trusting His plan instead of our own. God wants us to know at some point if we're not careful we can go too far; we can go outside of God's will and if we do there are consequences. Again, make no mistake about it, consequences surround us but they are not always immediate. Think about it, some of our everyday behaviors may be dangerous and not safe for us but we don't always experience immediate consequences. Here's an example: ever drive through an intersection and realize --- oooopppsss, the light was red? I've done it, kind of zoned out and missed the light was red. And you know what happened? I was fortunate. No one was coming through the intersection at the same time I ran the light, so I was spared the natural immediate consequence. But if I continue to run red lights, my chances of a major accident increase dramatically.

Here's the point friends - live today realizing that at some point we can go too far outside of God's plans and consequences will follow. God wants us to be holy because He is holy. Read stories like Numbers 16 and connect the timeless truth to our lives personally and know God is a just God.

Complaining While God's Sustaining

Read Numbers 11

If ever in the Bible there was a time and a place for a wine and cheese party we'd be hard pressed to find it anywhere else but in the book of Numbers. Now throughout the Old and New Testaments there's a lot of evidence of whining and complaining. But it's one of the unfortunate themes of the book of Numbers. You see the people had just come out of Egypt where they had been slaves. And here they are delivered miraculously by God and they are in a waiting period. They are waiting to follow God's lead as they journey as a nation toward the Promised Land, Canaan.

Take a quick look at Numbers 11 and you'll find that Israel was whining and complaining about their circumstances. Ever do that? Complain about your own circumstances? And you see the problem was this, they were complaining even though God was providing. I find that we can all be like the Israelites, complaining even though we have what we need. Our problem is our wants outweigh our needs.

God doesn't take lightly Israel's complaints. Read the text and you'll see some severe consequences associated with their complaints. I suppose the lesson for us is God wants us understanding consequences are associated with our actions. So when God provides and we whine be careful. Our complaining when God's sustaining is like a slap in the face of God.

Take some time this week and check how God's taking care of you. No matter where you are or what situation you find yourself in, if you look and you look close enough you'll see God sustains His children all the time. He's always aware of what we need. So may we live with an attitude of appreciation and acceptance rather than complaining and whining. God isn't finished what He started with any of us. So let's consider that He knows what He's doing and say thank you as we wait for His plan to play out. God's Best!!

It's All About...

Read 2 Corinthians 5:15

During a recent conversation a friend brought me to this verse and I couldn't help but think about it's implications for us. Second Corinthians 5:15 says - And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

With the world we live in it's hard to get this message right. We're told day in and day out how it's all about us. But God says something different. He says it's all about Him; that we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us and was raised again. Listen, if we're honest (and I'm suggesting we should be) if Christ didn't rise then why would we live for Him? But history tells us He did rise, He did back up His promise with power and truth. And since we can trust Him at His word we need to put our efforts toward making it a point of emphasis with our lives that we will live for Him in every single way.

God's desire is that we honor Him with our lives. And once we allow Him to have His way in us, our desire will match His. This week let's follow the example Paul promotes in 2 Corinthians by living for Him.

When Jesus Prays

Read John 17:1-26

When we think of Jesus' prayers it's easy to remember the infamous Our Father prayer. But this prayer in John 17 is equally infamous. Take a few minutes and read the prayer. There's so much to it that's just so amazing.

The first thing to notice is Jesus says He's finished the work the Father sent Him to do. And His work ultimately was all about glorifying God. Isn't that true in our lives? Whatever the specific work God has given each one of us, His plan is that we glorify Him in our lives. I don't know about you but when my days are done I want to be able to say what Jesus said - that I've finished the work you've given me God and in my life I've given you all the glory!

Secondly, Jesus talks about the importance of words. He talks about the importance of knowing the words of God. In verses 15-17 He says, I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Friends, it's so important for us to know the work of God and the word of God. Because without either we are lost and without direction of what God wants us to do or how He wants us to do it. I fear that we don't know God's word. I fear that we don't know God's word well enough to truly know Him as He wants us to know Him. And I fear that we don't know God's word well enough to be effective in ministry for Him. If as His word says - His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path - we've got to make time to know His word. Jesus says it - it's His word that He prays will sanctify us, set us apart from the world we live in.

I pray we would be a church that would be known for our great love and knowledge of God. And it all starts friends by knowing God which is only possible from knowing His word.

Do So More and More

Read 1 Thessalonians 1-5

Recently I've been spending time reading and re-reading Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. And I'm as impressed with these believers as Paul was. Take ten minutes this week and read through the short letter and you won't be able to miss the unmistakable encouragement and support Paul offers this local congregation.

Now you might be surprised to learn that this body of believers was young in their faith, yet Paul heaps praise after praise on them knowing that they are faithful followers of God Almighty.

The question I have is why? Why were they so passionate and faithful even though they were so young in their faith? I think the answer is two-fold. First they understood to the core of their beings the importance and impact of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and promise of His return in their lives. And secondly, they had Paul. Paul was someone who spent some time with them and helped them mature in their faith. Who do you have that is your Paul? Someone who's there to encourage you when times are tough (the Thessalonians were certainly no strangers to intense suffering and persecution because of their faith) and who do you have who's there to remind you with encouraging words? Paul said over and over to "do so more and more." You see they were living their lives differently every day since they came to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, their leader and forgiver of their sins. They had chosen to live so differently that their reputation was known so well that they were called "imitators" by Paul because they imitated his life who of course was imitating the life of Jesus.

Friends, every one of us should be fixated on living lives that others will desire to imitate because they see Christ in us. And then we can encourage one another with Paul's words that we continue to imitate and do so more and more for the glory of God.

Reflecting God's Attributes

Read John 4:1-24

I just finished reading the book - God: As He Longs for You to See Him by Chip Ingram. As Chip wraps up the book he concludes with the story of the woman at the well in John 4. And within this story he summarizes both the story and his book as follows:

He (Jesus) gave her (the woman at the well) a glimpse of God himself, Jesus, the exact representation of God (Heb. 1:3) and the embodiment of the fullness of God (Col. 1:19), showed God's character to someone who just went out to get some water. He was good to her, genuinely concerned for her welfare. He was sovereign, knowing the details of her past and aware of the divine appointment that led to their conversation. He was holy, confronting her sinfulness. He was wise, demonstrating the ability to draw her in without rejecting her as everyone else had done. He was just, not letting the judgments of men affect his mercy for this sinner, and dealing with her honestly and fairly from an eternal perspective. He was loving, patiently answering her questions and seeking her salvation above all else. And he was faithful, carrying out his will for an entire community through the witness of one redeemed sinner.

This story is one of many in which Jesus powerfully reflects the attributes of God. If you ever questioned whether God wants for you to see Him, Jesus is the clearest answer. Friends what if - what if we reflected these attributes of God wherever we go? What if we were continually aware of the greatness of God's character by reflecting it in our own lives? Can you imagine the impact we'd make for Christ? I want to live like that - and I'm sure you do as well. Let's consider the life of Christ, His example, and follow it with the power and strength given by the Holy Spirit of God so that wherever we go, God is with us and we're worshiping God in spirit and in truth. To God Be the Glory!!

What's Important?

Read 2 Peter 1:3-14

What's the most important thing in your life? When you read that question, what's the very first thing that comes to mind? For many of us we reply with the answer we're "supposed" to give. But in truth, in our conscience we have another answer. That "other" answer is what is standing between you and a dynamic relationship with the living God.

You know we all live in a time like no other when expectations and ideologies are at an all time high. But where do we get these expectations and ideologies from? Are they from God or are they our own creation? The reality is a lot of what we see in others and if we're open, what we see in ourselves, is a creation of our own set of core values, beliefs and expectations.

The truth is this - God has given us everything we need to live Godly lives. Take a moment and read 2 Peter 1:3-14. Peter reminds members of God's forever family of God's great and precious promises; and how we can participate in the divine nature and live above the corrupt times we live in.

Too often though what gets in the way is us. Our own way, our own dreams of what is best. Friends, God makes it clear in His word that He knows what we need. So let's not get caught up in what we want. Because what we want is not necessarily what we need. And God is a good God. He is a good God because that's who He is. And part of His goodness provides us with what we need in a world that tries to tell us we need something else. Does that make sense? God wants us to never fall in our faith so He tells us through Peter's words to add to our faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. And this friends we're told - if we possess these qualities, these core values, that they will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Live with these expectations and ideologies for the following reason - God desires you and I to be effective in our life ministry as we live for Him, serving Him because He is what's most important!

Greater Things

Read John 14:12-14

So we've just finished our series - Decision Points. And with that I have a few questions: what decisions has God challenged you with? have you listened? responded? still seeking direction to some of the decisions you need to make?

I've found it's important to know what you want in order to know whether or not you're making any progress. So another question I have is - how do you evaluate if you've had a good week? One of the decision points I've been challenged with has been the decision to determine whether I'm living for my things or God's things. Check out this song on youtube God of This City.

God has greater things for all of us. We all have different parts to play but His greater things are greater than my things. And when we're reminded of that it should inspire within us a passion to pursue God's best in us and through us wherever we are.

Are you ready to make a decision for God's greater things? It takes a disciple to make a decision like this; a disciple who's willing to follow the will and way of God no matter the cost and with a willingness to give up everything for the kingdom and glory of God. This week live your faith as a fully devoted follower of Christ by seeking His greater things.

Taking A Stand

Read Ephesians 6:13-17

How many times have you wanted to take a stand but for one reason or another you just weren't prepared? When I think about this question it causes me to consider the many times and many ways I wasn't prepared to take a stand. Maybe it was a test in school, an interview for a job, an opportunity to stand up for someone who couldn't stand up for themselves or maybe it was an issue of faith. We've all been there - where we want to take a stand but for whatever reason, we just weren't prepared.

Ephesians 6:13-17 tells us we never have to be unprepared when it comes to matters of faith. The Apostle Paul was a bold man, a man always ready to take a stand for his faith. So when writing to the Ephesians He boldly says "put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." He clarifies the full armor of God by comparing it to the Word. You see in the battles we face we have a real enemy. And think about it. What does every enemy desire? By definition, enemies desire to defeat their opponents. Our enemy is looking to destroy us, to make us ineffective for the cause of Christ.

But we don't have to be rendered ineffective! God has given us everything we need to live godly lives. So we ought to be excited and intentional about getting in God's word. It is full of God's wisdom and direction, power and holiness, truth and love.

Listen we all have the advantage of being able to get into God's word in various ways. We can "do it" the old fashioned way and read it right from our Bibles, or we can read it online at one of the thousands of sights that share His word on the world wide web. Many of us enjoy listening to music that praises our Father with lyrics originated from the Scriptures; and others enjoy sitting down with a great Christian book that draws us into God's presence while quoting countless Bible verses about living and loving as God created us to live and love. We have no excuse friends. God's word is more available to us now than ever before.

Let's hear it from the Psalmist who said -

Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders
for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word. Psalm 119:97-101

Love Them Like Jesus

Read Colossians 3:18-25

I find it interesting that quote Bible verses from scripture and quote them as our favorites or "life verses" but then when (or if) we go into the context the verse takes on its original intent. Many know Colossians 3:23 which reads - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Now I can quote this verse and apply it to so many different areas of my life. But the original context requires us to go back to at least verse 18 where we're told Paul is writing to the Colossians and specifically addressing different individuals.

First he begins with wives and says to submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Notice he's not saying all women are to submit to all men. Specifically he's speaking to wives. And submission isn't to be seen as a negative thing here. It's to be seen as something that is fitting in the Lord. In other words, submission is something God approves. But husbands don't miss your responsibility, you are to love your wives. Show me a wife who has a husband who loves her (especially one who loves her like Jesus loves her) and we'll see a marriage that glorifies God. Children are to obey. Obedience is always easier when it's required of someone else. But children are called to obey their parents in everything. The question is why? That's not an unusual question is it? Why? Paul answers, because it pleases the Lord. And then fathers are not to embitter their children, again a call against being harsh so that they will not become discouraged. And finally Paul says to slaves obey with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

All these relationships are to be holy relationships. Relationships that are fitting in the Lord, loving as the Lord loves, pleasing to the lord and out of respect to our Holy Father. Listen not many of us go through life without difficulties in our relationships. But God calls us, His followers, to relate with one another differently than the world relates with one another. We're called to do whatever it takes, with all our heart when it comes to our relationships with one another in this life. And God promises something in verse 24 - since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Anyone having difficulties in a relationship? Paul tells us it's Christ we are serving when we are relating in the holy ways mentioned earlier. Don't miss that. The way we live with one another and the way we love one another shows the reality of Christ that lives within us. It's been said many times that if it weren't for the people life would be easy. Have you heard that? Well, it's true. And God knows this. But He instructs and inspires us to be different in how we relate with people. We're to be men and women who understand our life isn't about us. It's first about God, then about others and after this it's then about us. We're to glorify God with our lives and we're to treat everyone we lock eyes with just as Christ would. Love them like Jesus.

Offerings

Read Leviticus 1

After finishing reading through Genesis and Exodus I find myself at the beginning of Leviticus. While certainly not one of the longest books in the Bible it is definitely one that doesn't get much positive press. Partly because we don't understand the culture within the context, but I think mostly because we aren't really sure how to relate it to our lives today. So with this in mind I want to maybe pique your interest in giving it a go, encouraging you to read through Leviticus one chapter a day and see what God reveals. If nothing else, you can finish and be one of the few who can actually claim they've read through this book which is completely devoted to the worship of the redeemed people of God and expresses the repeated command of God throughout the book "Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy." (11:44,45; 19:2; 20:7,26).

Leviticus 1 begins with a conversation between God and Moses and it's all about when the people of Israel are bringing an offering to God, how they're supposed to worship. Now when we come to worship God how do we come? Do we come prepared to truly let God know how much He's worth to us, or do we come distracted or perhaps unfocused? You see when we come before a holy God (this concept is prevalent all throughout Leviticus - that our God is a Holy God) we should come prepared to present our very best to God. This is one of the reasons why the offerings spoken about in Leviticus 1-7 indicate that their offerings were to be "without defect." God always wants our very best. The question is - do we offer him our best or less than our best?

And once we honestly evaluate our personal answer to this question, if and when we answer that we've presented God with less than our best what should we do? The Bible is clearly a book about our need to repent, to do a U-turn when our actions and attitudes do not align with God's. But I believe it should go at least one step further or we'll continue taking the wrong turns in our lives. Once we've repented, I believe we need to check what got us off course in the first place. This takes time, contemplation and possibly even help from another who might be able to show us where and why we're getting lost from following God's path.

I can't and I won't presume to tell you what's getting you off the path God wants you on, because I think it's different for everyone of us. But when we take the time to think about the choices we make that affect our actions and attitudes I think God will begin opening our eyes so we'll see more clearly the next time we come upon an intersection where we might make a wrong turn. You see God wants our very best, so let's give Him just that with a little help from the Holy Spirit that lives within every follower of Jesus Christ. And for that we all should be greatly humbled and thankful, that God didn't leave us alone but gave us the third person of the trinity to guide us with every step we take.

The Goodness of God

Read Psalm 84:11

When is God good? Think about it, because how we answer this question says a lot about our view of God. Actually, this question is a set up question. Because God's goodness is not a matter of 'when.' His goodness is a matter of who He is, it's about the very nature and character of God. You see God is good - ALL THE TIME. It's who He is. Over and over and over again scripture tells us about the goodness of God. Read the history and psalms and stories of the Old and New Testaments and at least hundreds if not thousands of times we'll find scripture revealing the goodness of God.

Let's take a look at Psalm 84:11. Here we see that God is described as a sun and shield. The sun has power and brilliance and radiates the glory of God while a shield protects. So we have this picture of God shining in our lives, displaying His favor and honor, withholding "no good thing" from those whose walk is blameless.

Oh if we could just trust God in this! If we could just trust that God is good. You see if you're anything like me we all have this tendency to say or think God is good when something goes the way we want it to go or something happens and it goes in our favor. Recently my family had a medical report that a loved one's cancer does not require chemo! And the natural tendency is to say - YES, GOD IS GOOD. And He is, but not because of the favorable medical report. God is good because God is good; that's who He is.

God's goodness has nothing to do with our circumstances. His goodness has everything to do with who He is. Let's worship our good God, for He is good and worthy to be praised. Let's not catch ourselves saying God is good only when good things happen. God is good even when bad things happen. Let's love the goodness of God and know that God is good all the time; He is worthy to be praised and we are to be representatives of His goodness. Let's allow His character to affect our character. Enjoy God's goodness this week my friends!!

What Do You Want From God?

Read Psalm 73:25-26

A few weeks ago in my message about exegesis, I briefly touched on the fact that many teachers promote the notion that God is simply a means to and end. We often treat God as the person we go to in order to get the thing that we really want. In many cases, the Bible has been downgraded to a cosmic self-help book. And believers have adopted the attitude of spiritual gold-diggers.

Now, I'm not only talking about the prosperity "name it-claim it' churches, but the church culture as a whole (at least in the States) has begun to treat God as simply a means to blessing, healing, finances, or at least a ticket to heaven.

In the Scriptures however, we see a different view of God. Psalm 16 declares, "(v2) I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.'" And again in verse 5, "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot." And in the last verse of the psalm, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (v11)."

Paul made it clear that knowing Christ is far more valuable than anything else.

Phil 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

The author of Hebrews makes a similar statement about Moses.

Hebrews 11: 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

I'm by no means saying it's wrong to ask God for anything. I hope no one gets that impression. But there is a problem if we begin to seek God only for what He can do for us. What do we value more?

In Psalm 73, Asaph wrote of a time when he almost slipped. He had been seeing godless people continue to prosper, while God's people continued to suffer. His turning point came when he got into the presence of God. This was his resolve;

"25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

He proclaims God to be of greater value than anything on earth, and of greater worth than heaven. My prayer is that we would all begin to adopt such a view.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
-John Piper

Grace & Peace

Dre Thompson - Member, Hope Community Church

Is It Enough?

Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

We read and sing about it, but is it enough? Is God's grace really enough in your life? In my life?

Even with just a cursory reading of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 we can't miss the fact that Paul who wrote this letter was struggling. While we may question what he was struggling with there's no doubt we are all in agreement with the fact that all of us struggle and face difficulties. But what does Paul say in verse 2? He says I'm going to go on to visions and things God has revealed to me when times are tough. You see it's when we remember God's goodness, God's grace and we go back to Him that we're able to go beyond reading that God's grace is enough to singing it by showing it's true in our lives.

Have you hit a tough patch? Struggling with anything right now? I'm going to encourage you - come back to God's amazing grace. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 we're told the Lord says - My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Please don't skim over this verse. It's critical to our understanding of where to go and what to do when we are weak. Every morning when we put our feet on the ground to get out of bed, let's remember this promise of God.

And last thing to consider - what does Paul say he'll do as a result of God's promise? He says I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses. Why? So that Christ's power may rest on me. So whatever comes your way, my way may we delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God's grace - IT IS ENOUGH!!

Purpose

Read Acts 2:42-47

This upcoming Sunday at Hope we're having our four Core Classes offered all on the same day. Each class is part of our focus as a church of being followers of Christ on purpose. Our desire is that everyone would take each of these classes as part of our spiritual journey so that together we might grow as we discover our church family, spiritual maturity, our ministry SHAPE and our life mission (learning to effectively and clearly communicate our faith with those not yet in the family of God).

Friends it's critically important that we realize our faith is not meant to be kept to ourselves. We're to come together as Hebrews 10 instructs to encourage each other toward love and good deeds, grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, learn what our spiritual gifts and passions are so we can then go and serve accordingly and we're to make no mistake about it that we all are to share a verbal witness with others so that all might come to know our great God. And all of this is to be pursued because we are called to glorify God with our lives - every day, in every way.

Take some time this Sunday and join us for one of the four: Class 101 - Discovering Our Church Family (Membership); Class 201 - Discovering Spiritual Maturity; Class 301 - Discovering My Ministry SHAPE; Class 401 - Discovering My Life Mission. You will be blessed and God will be glorified.

Questions

Read Hebrews 10:19-25

Questions - they keep us up at night, cause us to stop and think at all times and truth be told not many of us like questions, that is unless we have some good and solid answers.

Questions prevail everywhere today and about everything. In the church we have questions we ask about effectiveness of ministry and direction of ministry. Now as I've been reading over the years, I've come across some key questions that are just so important for us to have some good and solid answers to. And it all fits in with our message this past week about Biblical Community.

The first question is: What do we want people to become? This question is all about becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Jesus said two little words that have significant impact on lives if lived out. To His first disciples He simply said - FOLLOW ME. You see when we follow Him we're becoming something new, something different. Now not only are we to follow Him but Jesus says in Matthew 28 that we are to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that He commanded. We are called to help others follow Him as well.

The second question is: What do you want people to do? This question answers how we are going to help people follow Him. How we become followers of Him is we must continually pursue 3 vital relationships -- intimacy with God, community with insiders and influence with outsiders. Matthew 22 says we are to Love God and Love People (those already in the family of God and those not yet in the family of God).

The third question is: Where do we expect people to go to accomplish this? You see to follow Him and help others do the same we need a place where we can meet with others who are committed to the same goal. So we must ask ourselves where's the best place for sustained life change? It's in the context of intentional relationships where we encourage, support and pray with and for one another to live our faith in a way that is pleasing to God. This is where we come together and inspire each other to follow Christ.

When questions abound may we remember the answers God's given in His Word. So let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Do Not Grow Weary

Read Galatians 6:6-10

Think for a moment about something you've been enthusiastic about recently. Maybe it was spending the holidays with family and friends, maybe it was the start of a new year with new horizons or maybe it was the thought of something that's happened recently in your understanding of God - knowing more fully who He is and experiencing more of His presence in your life. Whatever it is for you, we've all experienced enthusiasm. Yet on the opposite end of the spectrum but not such a far way off is discouragement. We've all been there - all fired up and enthusiastic about something, but at what seems like the blink of an eye our enthusiasm fades. And this can happen quickly and without notice.

The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Galatians and said that we are not to "become weary in doing good." Easier said than done wouldn't you agree? I don't know about you but over and over in my life after a spiritual high where enthusiasm is at it's peak, come times when I grow weary. And what I want us to remember is God's word, because I think this growing weary stuff happens to all of us. Paul says in Galatians 6:9 - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

God has a promise that there's a harvest coming for all of us who do not give up in doing the good He has called us to! Let's be enthused by this truth. That the God who promises is the God who always delivers!! Circumstances, people, health, life all these things will let us down, but God will never fall short of the promises He's made! Amen.