Showing posts with label Lessons from God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lessons from God. Show all posts
It's Our Birthday Linkup: After One Year...
MY Love IS Deeper
Let Jesus sing this to your heart today...
My love is deeper than the holler.
Stronger than the river.Higher than the pine trees growin' tall upon the hill.My love is purer than the snowflakes,That fall in late December.And honest as a Robin on a springtime window sill.And longer than the song of a whippoorwill.
My love is deeper than the holler.
Stronger than the river.Higher than the pine trees growin' tall upon the hill.My love is purer than the snowflakes,That fall in late December.And honest as a Robin on a springtime window sill.And longer than the song of a whippoorwill.
Stop On By
Make sure you stop by www.thequietplaceblog.org today to check out my post on forgiveness. God has been teaching me a lot lately.
All Dried Up
Have you ever felt all dried up? Like you've given what you can give but there is just nothing left that you can really do.
Sometimes I feel like that with my spiritual life. While there may be something that I can do about what God is convicting in me, I don't do it, and sometimes I don't even want to do it. It saddens my heart to admit it, but I know it's really true.
That's when I need to consult God and just say hey, I'm feeling all dried up, help me because I need it.
Grace. There is enough to cover me.
Nevertheless, I believe the lie that there isn't. I believe the lie that if I'm not good enough God will condemn me.
That's when I need to remember scripture.
Romans 8:1-3
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
It really hits home for me when I read "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering".
Christ covers all.
Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Though we have been redeemed we are not without purpose. We have a job to do. Here Christ tells the disciples to be alert and aware of temptation praying to God for assistance to resist it.
We still live in a broken and sinful world, therefore we must watch and pray to avoid temptation. When we stop watching and praying that is when we fall into sin.
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
This passage in second Peter is a good reminder that though we live in a broken world God has given us everything we need to succeed in living a life pleasing to Him.
An excerpt from Matthew Henry's Commentary explains verses 3 & 4 in more depth...
Those who receive the promises of the gospel partake of the divine nature. They are renewed in the spirit of their mind, after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness; their hearts are set for God and his service; they have a divine temper and disposition of soul; though the law is the ministration of death, and the letter killeth, yet the gospel is the ministration of life, and the Spirit quickeneth those who are naturally dead in trespasses and sins. [4.] Those in whom the Spirit works the divine nature are freed from the bondage of corruption. Those who are, by the Spirit of grace,renewed in the spirit of their mind, are translated into the liberty of the children of God; for it is the world in which corruption reigns. Those who are not of the Father, but of the world, are under the power of sin; the world lies in wickedness, 1 John 5:19. And the dominion that sin has in the men of the world is through lust; their desires are to it, and therefore it rules over them. The dominion that sin has over us is according to the delight we have in it.
The last sentence here is easy to overlook, but it is what stood out to me most. It says, "The dominion that sin has over us is according to the delight we have in it". Hearing myself read those words both encourages and saddens me. I am saddened by this because it means that I am holding a dominion of sin over myself and therefore keeping myself from what God has for me. On the other hand, I am encouraged because it means that the only sin which has power over Christians is the sin that I myself take pleasure in. This means that through the Holy Spirit, I have the power I need to get rid of any sin that is held over me.
The only question that remains then is how. How do we get rid of the dominion of sin we are willingly holding over ourselves. Well I guess that the easy answer is to let go of it. The more helpful answer is perhaps to watch and pray. In order to get rid of it we need to ask God for help. We also need to be mindful or in other words pay attention to what thoughts lead us into sin. Then, instead of entertaining those thoughts, we need to capture them and toss them out. We can be set free by the power of the Holy Spirit if we watch and pray.
Sometimes I feel like that with my spiritual life. While there may be something that I can do about what God is convicting in me, I don't do it, and sometimes I don't even want to do it. It saddens my heart to admit it, but I know it's really true.
That's when I need to consult God and just say hey, I'm feeling all dried up, help me because I need it.
Grace. There is enough to cover me.
Nevertheless, I believe the lie that there isn't. I believe the lie that if I'm not good enough God will condemn me.
That's when I need to remember scripture.
Romans 8:1-3
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
It really hits home for me when I read "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering".
Christ covers all.
Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Though we have been redeemed we are not without purpose. We have a job to do. Here Christ tells the disciples to be alert and aware of temptation praying to God for assistance to resist it.
We still live in a broken and sinful world, therefore we must watch and pray to avoid temptation. When we stop watching and praying that is when we fall into sin.
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
This passage in second Peter is a good reminder that though we live in a broken world God has given us everything we need to succeed in living a life pleasing to Him.
An excerpt from Matthew Henry's Commentary explains verses 3 & 4 in more depth...
Those who receive the promises of the gospel partake of the divine nature. They are renewed in the spirit of their mind, after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness; their hearts are set for God and his service; they have a divine temper and disposition of soul; though the law is the ministration of death, and the letter killeth, yet the gospel is the ministration of life, and the Spirit quickeneth those who are naturally dead in trespasses and sins. [4.] Those in whom the Spirit works the divine nature are freed from the bondage of corruption. Those who are, by the Spirit of grace,renewed in the spirit of their mind, are translated into the liberty of the children of God; for it is the world in which corruption reigns. Those who are not of the Father, but of the world, are under the power of sin; the world lies in wickedness, 1 John 5:19. And the dominion that sin has in the men of the world is through lust; their desires are to it, and therefore it rules over them. The dominion that sin has over us is according to the delight we have in it.
The last sentence here is easy to overlook, but it is what stood out to me most. It says, "The dominion that sin has over us is according to the delight we have in it". Hearing myself read those words both encourages and saddens me. I am saddened by this because it means that I am holding a dominion of sin over myself and therefore keeping myself from what God has for me. On the other hand, I am encouraged because it means that the only sin which has power over Christians is the sin that I myself take pleasure in. This means that through the Holy Spirit, I have the power I need to get rid of any sin that is held over me.
The only question that remains then is how. How do we get rid of the dominion of sin we are willingly holding over ourselves. Well I guess that the easy answer is to let go of it. The more helpful answer is perhaps to watch and pray. In order to get rid of it we need to ask God for help. We also need to be mindful or in other words pay attention to what thoughts lead us into sin. Then, instead of entertaining those thoughts, we need to capture them and toss them out. We can be set free by the power of the Holy Spirit if we watch and pray.
Like That Tree
Tonight I came across this verse and it encouraged me so I wanted to share it here with all of you.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
But blessed is the one who trusts in Me alone;
the Eternal will be his confidence.
He is like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots beside the stream.
It does not fear the heat or even drought.
Its leaves stay green and its fruit is dependable, no matter what it faces.
My prayer is to be like that tree. No matter what I face may I not fear any circumstance because I trust in God.
Lord,
Mold my heart that I may be more like you.
Burning the Midnight Light
Tonight the Lord has spoken into my heart and here is what He shared with me...
Psalm 119:130
New International Version (NIV)
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
it gives understanding to the simple.
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Verse 130
Here is, 1. The great use for which the word of God was intended, to give light, that is, to give understanding, to give us to understand that which will be of use to us in our travels through this world; and it is the outward and ordinary means by which the Spirit of God enlightens the understanding of all that are sanctified. God’s testimonies are not only wonderful for the greatness of them, but useful, as a light in a dark place. 2. Its efficacy for this purpose. It admirably answers the end; for, (1.) Even the entrance of God’s word gives light. If we begin at the beginning, and take it before us, we shall find that the very first verses of the Bible give us surprising and yet satisfying discoveries of the origin of the universe, about which, without that, the world is utterly in the dark. As soon as the word of God enters into us, and has a place in us, it enlightens us; we find we begin to see when we begin to study the word of God. The very first principles of the oracles of God, the plainest truths, the milk appointed for the babes, bring a great light into the soul, much more will the soul be illuminated by the sublime mysteries that are found there. “The exposition or explication of thy word gives light;” then it is most profitable when ministers do their part in giving the sense, Neh. 8:8. Some understand it of the New Testament, which is the opening or unfolding of the Old, which would give light concerning life and immortality. (2.) It would give understanding even to the simple, to the weakest capacities; for it shows us a way to heaven so plain that the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Matthew 6:32-34
New International Version (NIV)
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:18-20
New International Version (NIV)
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Romans 8:27-29
New International Version (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Read This Too :) - Make You Feel His Love - Sweetness Itself
Why Do I Do It?
Some of you may be wondering why I even care to share my life anyways. Well, I do it for days like today. For days when I feel like a hot mess and I buy into all of the lies that the world shoves in our faces. It's when I have these days of brokenness I really need encouragement and truth spoken into my heart.
That is why I blog.
I want to write to encourage others on their hot mess days, to remind readers like yourself of God's faithfulness and promises. Just when I thought today might be a lost cause, God came and met me at my level to remind me that I AM HIS.
When I read these two blog posts, my savior spoke truth into my heart and it was exactly what I needed.
"Who I AM" by Amy @ Sweet Home Santa Barbara
"Having One of Those Days?" by Holly @ hollywagner.com
That is why I blog.
I want to write to encourage others on their hot mess days, to remind readers like yourself of God's faithfulness and promises. Just when I thought today might be a lost cause, God came and met me at my level to remind me that I AM HIS.
When I read these two blog posts, my savior spoke truth into my heart and it was exactly what I needed.
"Who I AM" by Amy @ Sweet Home Santa Barbara
"Having One of Those Days?" by Holly @ hollywagner.com
A Friendship Like Their's
The story of Jonathan and David's friendship is one of my favorites. But a friendship like theirs is hard to come by. Especially today it seems that good friends are few and far between. Best friends are even rarer. I am so blessed that I have the beginning of a friendship like theirs. You can read there awesome story here...
1 Samuel 18-20
The Voice (VOICE)
18 By the time David had finished speaking to Saul, Saul’s son Jonathan was bound to David in friendship, and Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. 2 Saul took David into his service on that day and would not let him return to his father’s home. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as he loved himself. 4 He took off the robe he wore and gave it to David, and also his armor, sword, bow, and belt, symbolically transferring to David his right to ascend the throne.
5 David went wherever Saul sent him and was successful in battle; and as a result, Saul made him commander of his army. And all the people, even those who served Saul, were pleased.
6 On the day they were returning from David’s victory over the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet the king, singing and dancing with tambourines and other instruments, making joyful music. 7 At one point, the women sang as they danced and celebrated.
Women: Saul has slain his thousands,
and David, his tens of thousands.
and David, his tens of thousands.
8 This chant made Saul tremble with fury.
Saul: Do you hear this? They have said that David killed tens of thousands and that I only killed thousands. What else is left for him but my kingdom?
9 From that moment on, Saul was suspicious of David.
10 On the next day, the True God sent an evil spirit to overwhelm Saul and put him in a prophetic state inside his residence. While David was playing the harp, as he did every day to try and soothe the king, Saul had his spear in his hand 11 and decided to throw it at David, thinking, “I will pin him to the wall.” But David twice escaped Saul’s angry attacks.
12 Saul was afraid of David because the Spirit of the Eternal was with him but had left Saul. 13 So, at last, Saul removed David from his presence, making him a commander over 1,000 men, hoping he would die in battle. But David went out to the battle and returned. 14 David was successful in everything he did because the Eternal One was present with him.
15 When Saul saw that David achieved such success, he was amazed and afraid of him. 16 All of Israel and Judah loved David, who led their soldiers into battle and brought them back victorious.
Saul came up with a plan and called David.
Saul: 17 David, I want you to take my oldest daughter Merab in marriage. I ask only one thing in return: valiantly fight the Eternal One’s battles on my behalf.
Saul was thinking that he did not need to murder David himself; instead, the Philistines would eventually kill David.
David (to Saul): 18 Who am I, what have I done, and who is my family in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?
19 But at the time when Saul’s daughter Merab was to be given to David as his wife, she was instead given in marriage to Adriel the Meholathite. 20 Saul’s daughter Michal, however, loved David; and when Saul heard this, he was pleased.
21 He thought that he would give her to David to trap him in a dangerous situation where the Philistines could still destroy David. So Saul spoke to David again.
Saul (to David): I want you to marry my other daughter.
22 (to his servants) Talk to David privately. Tell him, “The king is very happy with you, and you are loved by those who serve him. So why don’t you become the king’s son-in-law?”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words to David as requested, but again he replied modestly.
David: Does it seem to you such a simple thing that I should become the king’s son-in-law? What about the fact that I have no money to pay the brideprice and come from an unknown family with no political connections?
24 Saul’s servants reported David’s concerns back to the king.
Saul: 25 Tell David that in place of the traditional dowry, I want only the foreskins of 100 Philistines, so the king will be avenged against his enemies.
Saul thought David would be killed by the Philistines while attempting this task. 26 When the servants repeated Saul’s words, he agreed to Saul’s terms and decided to fulfill these conditions to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the allotted time elapsedto pay the dowry, 27 David went with his men, killed 200 Philistines, and presented their foreskins to the king so that he could become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave David his daughter Michal in marriage; 28 but when the king saw how David enjoyed the favor of the Eternal One, and that his daughter Michal loved him, 29 he felt even more threatened by David. Afterhis plan failed, Saul considered David his constant enemy.
30 Whenever the commanders of the Philistine army came out to fight, David distinguished himself against them more than any of Saul’s other servants, so that everyone valued him.
19 Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to figure out a way to kill David, but Jonathan was very fond of David.
Jonathan (warning David): 2 My father wants you dead. Watch out tomorrow morning. Think of a safe place to hide that nobody knows about. 3 I will go into the field near where you are hiding, and I will speak on your behalf to my father. If I learn anything, I will tell you.
4 Jonathan spoke generously on behalf of his friend to his father, Saul.
Jonathan: The king should not sin against his servant David, who has never sinned against you. Indeed his achievements have been of real service to you and your kingdom. 5 He faced death when he fought against the Philistine, and the Eternal One gave David a great victory for all of Israel. When you saw it then, you were filled with joy. Why would you now sin against an innocent person like David by killing him without a proper cause?
Saul (considering this counsel): 6 As the Eternal One lives, David should not be murdered.
7 Jonathan found David and told him everything that had happened, and then Jonathan brought David back into the service of Saul the king.
8 Once again there was war between Israel and the Philistines, and David went out to fight them. He crushed them and made them flee.
9 Again the Eternal sent an evil spirit to disturb Saul as he sat at home, spear in hand, listening to David play music; 10 again Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but Saul missed him and the spear stuck into the wall. David escaped that night and ran to his home.
11 Saul dispatched some of his officers to watch David’s house so that they could kill him the next day. David’s wife Michal warned him.
Michal: If you don’t save yourself tonight, tomorrow morning you’ll be killed.
12 So Michal lowered David down through the window, and he escaped. 13 Then she laid a large idol on the bed, made it a wig of goat’s hair, and covered it with clothes. 14 When Saul’s officers came to take David to the king, she told them, “He’s sick.”
15 Hearing this report, Saul ordered his officers to return and see David for themselves. He would not be deterred.
Saul: Even if you have to carry him to me in his bed, do it so I can kill him.
16 When the officers returned, they threw back the blankets and, instead of David, they discovered the idol with its goat-hair wig in the bed. So they took Michal to Saul.
Saul (to Michal): 17 Why have you betrayed me like this, daughter, and let my enemy escape?
Michal (lying): He said to me, “Let me go. Don’t make me kill you.”
18 David fled to Samuel in Ramah, and he told him everything that had happened. Samuel took David to the town of Naioth, and they lived there.
19 Saul soon learned that David was at Naioth in Ramah, 20 so he sent officers to arrest him and bring him back. But when they came, they found a group of prophets in a prophetic trance with Samuel standing and leading them, and the Spirit of the True God entered Saul’s officers so that they, too, were caught up and prophesied.
21 When Saul heard this news, he sent other officers who were also affected in this way. He sent a third set of officers, and again, the same thing happened when they encountered Samuel and the prophets.
22 So finally Saul went, himself, to Ramah. When he arrived at the large cistern at Secu, he asked where he might find Samuel and David and was told they were at Naoith in Ramah. 23 As Saul traveled, the Spirit of God entered him, and he, too, fell into a constant prophetic trance. When he reached Naoith in Ramah, 24 he stripped off all his clothes and fell into a prophetic ecstasy before Samuel, lying naked all that day and night. (This is another way the saying arose, “Is Saul also one of the prophets?”)
20 David ran for his life. He left Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan.
David: What have I done? Of what am I guilty? What crime have I committed against your father to make him want to kill me?
Jonathan: 2 Impossible! Don’t worry about it. You’re not going to die. My father doesn’t make any decision, large or small, without telling me. And why would my father hide this from me? It is not so.
David: 3 But your father knows we are friends, and he has said, “Don’t tell Jonathan about this; he will be upset.” I swear to you, as the Eternal lives—and as you live—I am on the verge of being killed.
Jonathan: 4 Whatever you ask, I will do for you.
David: 5 Look. Tomorrow is the new moon, and I should be sitting with the king at his table. But let me go and hide myself in the field until three days have passed. 6 If your father asks about me, tell him that I asked to return to my hometown, Bethlehem, for an annual family sacrifice. 7 If he says, “Fine,” then all will be well with your servant. But if he is angry, you will know that he intends to harm me. 8 So deal kindly with your servant, for you have made a sacred covenant with me, your servant. But if I am guilty, then kill me yourself. Why should you have to bring me in front of your father?
Jonathan: 9 That will never happen. If I knew my father planned to hurt you, wouldn’t I tell you?
David: 10 So who will tell me if your father gives you a good or bad answer?
Jonathan: 11 Let’s go out to the field.
They went out to the field so that David could find a place to lie low.
Jonathan (to David): 12 Let the Eternal God of Israel be my witness; this is my vow. When I have talked to my father, about this time tomorrow or no later than the third day, if he acts friendly about you, won’t I send an answer to you? 13 But if my father plans to harm you, then may the Eternal do to me what he plans for you—and more—if I don’t let you know and send you away to safety.
May the Eternal One be with you, as He has been with my father. 14 If I live, then show to me the faithful love of the Eternal that I may not die. 15 Do not ever take your faithful love away from my descendants, not even if the Eternal were to remove all the enemies of the house of David from the face of the earth.
16 With these words, Jonathan made a covenant with David and his descendants.
Jonathan: May the Eternal One guarantee this promise by the hands of David’s enemies.
17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for Jonathan loved him more than life itself.
Jonathan: 18 Tomorrow is the festival of the new moon. People will notice you are gone because your place will be empty.19 On the day after tomorrow, you will be greatly missed. On that day, quickly go down to that place where you hid yourself the first time and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of the stone, as if I’m shooting at a target.21 Then I will send a boy after them, saying, “Go find the arrows.” If I tell him, “Look, the arrows are on this side of you,” then come back, for as the Eternal One lives, you are not in any danger. 22 But if I tell the boy, “No, the arrows are beyond you,” then flee, because the Eternal has shown you that you must leave. 23 But as for the agreement that we have spoken together, the Eternal One is witness to it forever.
24 So David hid himself in the field.
When the new moon festival began and the king sat down to eat, 25 he took his usual seat in a place of safety with his back to the wall. Abner, his general, sat at the king’s side; Jonathan stood, but David’s seat was empty. 26 That first night, Saul said nothing. He thought that perhaps David had somehow become ritually unclean, and he could not attend a sacred feast. 27 But on the next day, the second day of the feast of the new moon, when David’s seat remained empty, Saul spoke to Jonathan.
Saul: Why hasn’t the son of Jesse joined us at the feast these past two days?
Jonathan: 28 David asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. 29 “Please allow me to go,” he said. “Our family is sacrificing in the city, and my brother has insisted that I come. So if you think highly of me, I ask that you let me go there and see my brothers.” That is why he is not at the king’s table.
30 Saul, not fooled for a moment, became very angry with Jonathan.
Saul: You son of a degenerate and rebellious woman! Do you think I don’t know that you have befriended the son of Jesse? This is just as shameful for you as your mother’s nakedness was. 31 As long as David walks the earth, you will never rule this kingdom. Now send for him. Bring him here to me, because he will most certainly die.
Jonathan: 32 Why should David be put to death? What offense has he committed?
33 At that, Saul threw his spear at him, fully intending to hit him, so Jonathan knew that it was truly his father’s intention to have David killed. 34 Jonathan left the table in a rage, without eating a bite on the second day of the festival. He was grieved because of David and because his father had disgraced him.
35 In the morning, Jonathan took his bow and went out into the field, as he had arranged with David, and he brought a small boy with him.
Jonathan (to the boy): 36 Run and find the arrows that I shoot.
The boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy reached the place where the arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out.
Jonathan: Isn’t the arrow beyond you? 38 Hurry! Be quick about it. Don’t hang around out there!
So Jonathan’s young servant gathered the arrows and returned to his master. 39 He knew nothing, of course; only Jonathan and David knew what had just transpired. 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him to take them back to the city.
41 As soon as the boy left, David rose from his hiding place south of the stone and prostrated himself before Jonathan. He bowed to Jonathan three times, and then David and Jonathan kissed each other. Both of them wept, but David wept more.
Jonathan (to David): 42 Go in peace and safety, since we have both sworn in the name of the Eternal One, “He will mediate between me and you, and between our descendants, forever.”
David got up from the ground and left, and Jonathan returned to the city.
...I wonder how our lives would be different if we put more work into our friendships. If we truly loved our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.
Watching For God
The Prayer of Faith
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. - James 5:13-20
Prayer is an essential aspect of a relationship with God. It allows us to express our feelings and thoughts to a God who is big enough to handle them. Though we often pray to God seeking him to grant our requests, prayer has a greater purpose than that. Through prayer God transforms our hearts and minds. I think an example of this might be this excerpt from 2 Corinthians Chapter 9...
"Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" - 2 Corinthians 9:13-15
Tonight I spent some much needed time talking with God. We had a long conversation. Mostly I poured my heart out to him about everything. I shared my joys, sorrows, confessions, confusions, questions, worries, and fears, along with many requests. At the end of our conversation I don't think it was God who was changed, but rather me. After my long talk with God, I felt better. In fact, I felt at peace because I knew that my God cares for me. I know that he won't let me down. Even if things don't turn out the way that I had hoped or wanted, I know that God is faithful. He works everything out for the Good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). So, although I don't always know what I am doing or where I am going, though I may have doubts and confusion about many things, it's alright because God is faithful. I don't have to know because he knows. I don't have to know because I DO know that wherever I am there he is with me. No matter what may happen, I am not alone.
Tonight I encourage you to pray. Tell God what you are thinking and feeling. He can take it. After all he's a big guy. Let him know what's up with you, I assure you it will lead to good things. Pray and then watch for God's work in your life. He's there, I assure you.
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." - Matthew 21:22
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:2
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:2
Habakkuk's Faith
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:17-19
Take some time today to read the three short chapters of Habakkuk. This man had great faith!
Take some time today to read the three short chapters of Habakkuk. This man had great faith!
Being Vulnerable
Today was the last day of one of my classes and I will miss it. It has truly been a blessing to have the opportunity to be apart of such an amazing group of people. As you may have guessed, this wasn't just a regular class. This class was a community. A community where we could be open with one another and share our life struggles. Where we were accepted and not laughed at. Even though some weeks it may have been hard to be vulnerable, it was worth it in the end. You see, for this class each week every person completed a spiritual discipline practice from Calhon's Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. Then at class every week we would share with one another what we experienced, and what we learned through participating in that spiritual discipline. This sharing time was an opportunity to be vulnerable. Was it uncomfortable? Scary? Yes and yes. Sometimes it was difficult to share how we were feeling and what we were learning in our personal practice of spiritual disciplines. But it was worth it. In the end we learned that by being vulnerable with each other we created a community. A place where we struggled, hurt, cried, and laughed. But it was also a place where we helped, comforted, consoled, and affirmed. Taking this class I learned a very important lesson. I am flawed, imperfect, a sinner. I don't have it together and I never will. And its okay. It's okay because so is everyone else. We are all the same, we are all flawed, we make mistakes, we sin. This class was good for me because it affirmed that I am normal. I am just as human as the next one. Yes I struggle, I get hurt, I have emotions. So do you. Something a bit more important struck me in the midst of my studies. God's grace IS enough. As much as I fight it some days and think that God can't possibly want someone as flawed as me, he DOES. I don't think I will ever fully grasp the meaning of God's grace. But I do know that I am thankful for it. Because without grace my sin is not okay. Disowning the very being who thought me up through my actions is not okay. But somehow, when I was not okay, God sent his son to earth to die so that I would be alight. This is unconditional love. Unfathomable love. That a man would lay down his life for his friends.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. - 1 John 3:16
Build Each Other Up
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thess 5:9-13
Read Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 5:6-11, 12-15
I Can't Earn God's Love
No matter how many times I hear it, it is still difficult for me to understand that I CANT EARN GODS LOVE. Sometimes I get lost in the complicated web of trying to do the right thing, say the right thing, and think the right thing, that I forget I can't earn God's love through these things. Dealing with this issue has been a long journey for me and I hope it is soon coming to a new destination. In my head I know that legalism isn't the way to God's heart. However, in my heart, this is much more difficult to understand.
GRACE. What is grace? What does it mean? The best way that I have been able to understand this is through a previous post i've written titled "Grace Like Rain" here is what I wrote in that post...
But how is grace like rain?
Grace is like rain because rain is free. We can't do anything to get it, yet we don't have to. Grace, just like a thunderstorm, is enough to cover everything. There is no field or hill hidden from it and all have their fill of it.9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, New International Version)
Grace is a gift.
GRACE. What is grace? What does it mean? The best way that I have been able to understand this is through a previous post i've written titled "Grace Like Rain" here is what I wrote in that post...
But how is grace like rain?
Grace is like rain because rain is free. We can't do anything to get it, yet we don't have to. Grace, just like a thunderstorm, is enough to cover everything. There is no field or hill hidden from it and all have their fill of it.9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, New International Version)
Grace is a gift.
"You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail. Yet they are now saved and set right by His free gift of grace through the redemption available only in Jesus the Anointed. When God set Him up to be the sacrifice—the seat of mercy where sins are atoned through faith—His blood became the demonstration of God’s own restorative justice. All of this confirms His faithfulness to the promise, for over the course of human history God patiently held back as He dealt with the sins being committed." Romans 3:23-25 (VOICE)
I think, at least for me, that it comes down to faith. I need more faith. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." - Hebrews
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Today's sermon was on the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 and 16. You can watch the sermon here. I know its a bit long for blogger, but I've posted the chapters because I want you to have the complete picture. I hope that you will read it. If you would rather listen to it you can find the audio here.
Luke 15
The Voice (VOICE)
15 Jesus became increasingly popular among notorious sinners—tax collectors and other social outcasts. 2 The Pharisees and religious scholars noticed this.
Pharisees and Religious Scholars: This man welcomes immoral people and enjoys their company over a meal!
Jesus (with another parable): 3-4 Wouldn’t every single one of you, if you have 100 sheep and lose one, leave the 99 in their grazing lands and go out searching for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 When you find the lost sheep, wouldn’t you hoist it up on your shoulders, feeling wonderful? 6 And when you go home, wouldn’t you call together your friends and neighbors? Wouldn’t you say, “Come over and celebrate with me, because I’ve found my lost sheep”? 7 This is how it is in heaven. They’re happier over one sinner who changes his way of life than they are over 99 good and just people who don’t need to change their ways of life.
8 Or imagine a woman who has 10 silver coins. She loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the whole house, and search diligently until that coin is found? 9 And when she finds it, doesn’t she invite her friends and neighbors and say, “Celebrate with me! I’ve found that silver coin that I lost”? 10 Can’t you understand? There is joy in the presence of all God’s messengers over even one sinner who changes his way of life.
11 Once there was this man who had two sons. 12 One day the younger son came to his father and said, “Father, eventually I’m going to inherit my share of your estate. Rather than waiting until you die, I want you to give me my share now.” And so the father liquidated assets and divided them. 13 A few days passed and this younger son gathered all his wealth and set off on a journey to a distant land. Once there he wasted everything he owned on wild living. 14 He was broke, a terrible famine struck that land, and he felt desperately hungry and in need. 15 He got a job with one of the locals, who sent him into the fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man felt so miserably hungry that he wished he could eat the slop the pigs were eating. Nobody gave him anything.
17 So he had this moment of self-reflection: “What am I doing here? Back home, my father’s hired servants have plenty of food. Why am I here starving to death? 18 I’ll get up and return to my father, and I’ll say, ‘Father, I have done wrong—wrong against God and against you. 19 I have forfeited any right to be treated like your son, but I’m wondering if you’d treat me as one of your hired servants?’” 20 So he got up and returned to his father. The father looked off in the distance and saw the young man returning. He felt compassion for his son and ran out to him, enfolded him in an embrace, and kissed him.
21 The son said, “Father, I have done a terrible wrong in God’s sight and in your sight too. I have forfeited any right to be treated as your son.”
22 But the father turned to his servants and said, “Quick! Bring the best robe we have and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. 23 Go get the fattest calf and butcher it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate 24 because my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and has been found.” So they had this huge party.
25 Now the man’s older son was still out in the fields working. He came home at the end of the day and heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. 27 The servant said, “Your brother has returned, and your father has butchered the fattest calf to celebrate his safe return.”
28 The older brother got really angry and refused to come inside, so his father came out and pleaded with him to join the celebration. 29 But he argued back, “Listen, all these years I’ve worked hard for you. I’ve never disobeyed one of your orders. But how many times have you even given me a little goat to roast for a party with my friends? Not once! This is not fair! 30 So this son of yours comes, this wasteful delinquent who has spent your hard-earned wealth on loose women, and what do you do? You butcher the fattest calf from our herd!”
31 The father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and all I have is yours. 32 Isn’t it right to join in the celebration and be happy? This is your brother we’re talking about. He was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found again!”
16 Here’s a parable He told the disciples:
Jesus: Once there was a rich and powerful man who had an asset manager. One day, the man received word that his asset manager was squandering his assets.
2 The rich man brought in the asset manager and said, “You’ve been accused of wrongdoing. I want a full and accurate accounting of all your financial transactions because you are really close to being fired.”
3 The manager said to himself, “Oh, no! Now what am I going to do? I’m going to lose my job here, and I’m too weak to dig ditches and too proud to beg. 4 I have an idea. This plan will mean that I have a lot of hospitable friends when I get fired.”
5 So the asset manager set up appointments with each person who owed his master money. He said to the first debtor, “How much do you owe my boss?” 6 The debtor replied, “A hundred barrels[a] of oil.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your bill by half. Just write 50 on this contract.” 7 Then he said to the second debtor, “How much do you owe?” This fellow said, “A hundred bales[b] of wheat.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your debt by 20 percent. Just write down 80 bales on this contract.”
8 When the manager’s boss realized what he had done, he congratulated him for at least being clever. That’s how it is: those attuned to this evil age are more clever in dealing with their affairs than the enlightened are in dealing with their affairs!
9 Learn some lessons from this crooked but clever asset manager. Realize that the purpose of money is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Eventually money will be useless to you—but if you use it generously to serve others, you will be welcomed joyfully into your eternal destination.
10 If you’re faithful in small-scale matters, you’ll be faithful with far bigger responsibilities. If you’re crooked in small responsibilities, you’ll be no different in bigger things. 11 If you can’t even handle a small thing like money, who’s going to entrust you with spiritual riches that really matter? 12 If you don’t manage well someone else’s assets that are entrusted to you, who’s going to give over to you important spiritual and personal relationships to manage?
13 Imagine you’re a servant and you have two masters giving you orders. What are you going to do when they have conflicting demands? You can’t serve both, so you’ll either hate the first and love the second, or you’ll faithfully serve the first and despise the second. One master is God and the other is money. You can’t serve them both.
14 The Pharisees overheard all this, and they started mocking Jesus because they really loved money.
Jesus (to the Pharisees): 15 You’ve made your choice. Your ambition is to look good in front of other people, not God. But God sees through to your hearts. He values things differently from you. The goals you and your peers are reaching for God detests.
16 The law and the prophets had their role until the coming of John the Baptist. Since John’s arrival, the good news of the kingdom of God has been taught while people are clamoring to enter it. 17 That’s not to say that God’s rules for living are useless. The stars in the sky and the earth beneath your feet will pass away before one letter of God’s rules for living become worthless.
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