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.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
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!!
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!!
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