Every one of God’s people are either coming into a storm, already in one, or coming out of one.
Christians are to be very, very proud of the accomplishments of fellow Christians. We are to pray that persecutions, rejections and disappointments will not deter any of us from continuing our missions on earth - be it secular or nonsecular. I believe God is proud of us also. I encourage you to believe God and know that God will turn things around for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28) if you stay on the wall.
As a fellow servant who has also gone through persecution for Christ’s sake, I want to remind you of a few things. First, no servant is greater than their master. (Matthew 10:34) If Jesus Christ is your Master and motivator of all that you do, then you must never let yourself forget that He suffered persecution while here on earth. He was called everything but a child of God. Even His works were called works of the devil. Count yourself blessed to be working for the Master!
As far as your past is concerned, God has forgiven you. Did you accept His forgiveness? Then don’t look back. The world is doing what it is suppose to do, persecute you. (Mark 13:13) Jesus said if you were of this world, the world would love you. But since you are not of this world, the world will reject you.
Sometimes we forget that. As we experience the Christian life, we start to think “everyone” is like the kind-hearted Christians we meet. Thus, our decisions to try and step out on faith. Only to be attacked by the world. I truly can understand. Been there, done that.
Jesus warned us that to be His servant means to suffer. (John 15:18) We are not to be surprised by the fiery trials that come. (1Peter 4:12) They come to make you strong, more dependent on Christ and to give you blessed assurance that you are indeed a disciple of Jesus Christ. (Luke 14:27)
Christ promised that when the trials come, He will be there to comfort you. And when we cry, the Holy Spirit cries with us. He is our High Priest that has gone on before us into the Heavens. Because He has suffered so Himself, we cannot say that God does not understand. He does. You have but to turn to Him and allow Him to be strong in your weakness. (Romans 8:26)
The worse thing you can do is to allow the world to see you crushed. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) Remember Christ’s reactions and responses when He stood before Herod and the Jewish Council. Pray to Him and ask Him for strength to take whatever you have to go through in His name.
There is still too much work to be done. Just remember that it is not about you, but about what Christ wants to do through you!
I believe God has raised up a generation – a remnant people for his namesake. (Romans 11:5 NKJV) Setting us in the midst as His instruments to be used to minister in troubled areas. You are one of those instruments.
One of the requirements for these most special assignments are to be heavily bruised as ones raised up in battle zones, but by His stripes are now healed. Then and only then can you have that most important ingredient, so necessary to minister to others – a compassionate spirit. Who knows but that you have been raised up for such a time as this.
Through surrendering to God, you have determined to follow Him. In this way, The Holy Spirit has caused you to walk across a bridge and out of your past, and come under a far better system of Grace. Jesus is our guarantee of a far better way between God and ourselves – a new Covenant – one that really works! (Hebrews 7:22) But don't expect the world to get that! They don't. They won't.
God can only use those who can hear the trumpet sound, overcome the wounds (but remember the scars), and allow themselves to be drawn ever nearer to God through Christ.
Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord!” is able or equipped to handle this most important assignment.
Only those who are able to see beyond themselves and catch a heavenly glimpse of God’s overall, redemptive plan are able to be used mightily by God. “But to all who believe Him and accept Him, He gives the right to become children of God. [We are reborn!] This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan – this rebirth comes from God.” (John 1:12-13, NKJV)
Through your suffering and ministry, you have become part of this remnant generation of people in these final days.
May you always be a mind through which Christ thinks; a heart through which Christ loves; a voice through which Christ speaks; and a hand through which Christ helps.
Be encouraged because God loves you! And so do I.
Your friend in the ministry,
Bren Gandy-Wilson
Friday, December 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
What's She Got That I Ain't Got?
John 15:7-8 [amplied version] "If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.”
Introduction: The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is a very familiar tale. It is the story of an over-confident rabbit that puts so much faith in her gifts of speed and good looks, until one day she challenges a slow-moving, ugly turtle to a race.
I am sure to the surprise of the hare; the tortoise takes her up on the challenge. At the starting line, the hare takes off like a bullet – leaving the poor tortoise in the proverbial dust.
After a while, when she looks back, the hare could not see the tortoise at all. Over-confident rabbit that she was, the hare decides to lie down and rest for a while. She awakens just in time to see the tortoise cross the finish line, and win the race.
Body: Have you ever looked at a woman, and in your opinion, she was a plain Jane? She was nothing to brag about or to write home about? As a matter of fact, she was not someone you would have wanted to befriend in school, or hang around with. She was the one that got teased and looked at funny.
But through the years, our plain Jane seems to blossom. You begin to notice that she has a kind, radiant smile and an easy-going spirit that seems to draw others naturally towards her.
Our plain Jane eventually marries a man who lets say, is pleasing to the eye – and who seems to love her very much. And you wonder, “What’s she got that I ain’t got?”
We’ll call her the tortoise. The woman who started out slow, but who appeared to gain the right momentum as time and life went on. {Everybody knows one – or two}
And then there’s the hare - the woman who seems to have it all together from the git-go. She is the one who starts out in the fast-lane of life. She is part of the in-crowd at school; invited to all the parties, and hangs around with the smart crowd. She wears nice clothes and has the most popular boyfriend. Then she graduates and goes off to college, and ends up marrying the best looking guy in the bunch. But even though her life appears to start off on the fast tract – with making all the right choices – Somehow, after a few years, the hare in our story, seems to end up with just a bunch of broken dreams.
She doesn’t talk about trying to go it alone because her man’s gone (mentally or physically) – or all the secret questions like, “Where did I go wrong?”
She doesn’t speak about the loneliness, or the fear of not having enough money to pay the bills, or the frustration of not being able to get off work and go to the school and see about her child. [You know there always seems to be one who needs more attention than you have to give.]
She doesn’t want to hear, “I told you so,” so she just keeps on smiling, while praying for a better day.
Our Scripture lesson today is not about getting to the finish line. It’s about making that one single divine attachment – the attachment to the nourishing source of life, Jesus Christ.
Although the Bible teaches us that we can do nothing without the Lord, many people start out on their own – without God. And they appear to bear good fruit – with everything going their way. But when you check them out years later, their lives are in bitter ruins and they have a bitter tongue to match. So what happened? They were in the fast tract for success, but they were in the wrong lane.
The Bible tells us there is a way that seems right to a man, but the way thereof leads to death.
To be a winner in life, you must be attached to the right source - Christ Jesus. Christ is the vine and God is the vinedresser who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. The branches are those who claim to be followers of Christ. But not every branch is following the teachings of Christ. The fruitful branches are true believers who by their union with Christ, produces much good fruit.
Have you ever seen someone who upon first glance, you thought was very pleasant and you wanted to get to know them? You had a good impression - until they opened their mouth? Then you found out they are gossips, and liked to pick at other people? God calls them unproductive. And God gives us a formula for knowing who His true believers are. He says, “And you shall know them by the love they have one for another.”
Those who understand the pruning and cutting back process are the ones who remain consistent no matter what’s going on in their lives. They are the ones who cast down imaginations and have determined to let nothing turn them aside from remaining attached to Jesus Christ. They’ve learned to cultivate a view from the Cross. They love even when no one loves them back. They listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit instead of the voice of the world. They understand that the harvest cannot come without the vinedresser’s cutting back dead things in their lives and separating out people that don’t belong in their lives or within the body of Christ.
Consistency means keeping a song in your heart – a sacred place where you repeat over and over again, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me!” And God says, “Because she knows my name, I will answer her!”
Being a woman of God means always abiding in the Lord, - not sometimes but always - no matter the circumstances. It means understanding that if there is no Cross, there can be no Crown!
It means leaning not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledging Him and allowing God to direct your path.
I want to ask you something today church. Are you saved?” Do you know that God has no obligation towards you if you are not under a covenant agreement with Him?
Remember Ruth? She was a widowed, Gentile woman who attached herself to her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi, and in so doing, she attached herself to the entire Jewish nation. What did Naomi have that Ruth did not have? She had God. How did she do it?
Ruth attached herself by speaking covenant language to Naomi: “Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people. Where you die, I will die, and here I will be buried” (Ruth 1:16,17).
The results of this powerful, God-ordained attachment were more far-reaching than Ruth could have ever known.
She attached herself to God’s people, but most importantly, she attached herself to the genealogy and lineage of Jesus Christ.
Through her marriage to Boaz, she gave birth to Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David . . . through whom Jesus Christ was a descendant.
Ruth cooperated with God to change her life and to change the world through making one decision – a divine attachment. You may not know God’s plans for your life. But you do know that He has one.
I am reminded of a song: Must Jesus bear the Cross along, and all the world go free? No, there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a Cross for you and for me!”
“Do you know the Lord, Jesus Christ? Are you saved?” Sometimes we attach ourselves to men and to things. When these things disappoint us, it is then that we know the truth of the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other god before me.”
Are you attached to the giver of life – not only the author and finisher – but the editor of your life?
Do you put him first in your life? If you’re on the fast tract of life and feel nothing but disappointment and frustration – you feel something is missing, I’m here to help you out today – to tell you what is missing.
I want to encourage you, and tell you that you can have joy and peace through union with the giver of life today. Attach yourself to God, and abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will come into your heart today. He will send His Holy Spirit to comfort and teach you all truth.
If you will abide in Him, He promises to move mountains and give you the desires of your heart. But apart from Him, you can do nothing.
Let us pray: From John 15:7 “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Focus Statement: “What She Got That I Ain’t Got?” And the answer is the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Father help us to know that we are powerful Women of God – Ones who have resurrection power within. We have been given the ability to believe You through Faith, and to move mountains if we would only believe... In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Benediction: And now to Him who died and rose again. To Jesus Christ, the only wise God our Master who has washed us in His own blood. To the one Who is able to make us stand faultless before His Father in Heaven; to Him be majesty, power and dominion forever, and ever Amen.
Introduction: The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is a very familiar tale. It is the story of an over-confident rabbit that puts so much faith in her gifts of speed and good looks, until one day she challenges a slow-moving, ugly turtle to a race.
I am sure to the surprise of the hare; the tortoise takes her up on the challenge. At the starting line, the hare takes off like a bullet – leaving the poor tortoise in the proverbial dust.
After a while, when she looks back, the hare could not see the tortoise at all. Over-confident rabbit that she was, the hare decides to lie down and rest for a while. She awakens just in time to see the tortoise cross the finish line, and win the race.
Body: Have you ever looked at a woman, and in your opinion, she was a plain Jane? She was nothing to brag about or to write home about? As a matter of fact, she was not someone you would have wanted to befriend in school, or hang around with. She was the one that got teased and looked at funny.
But through the years, our plain Jane seems to blossom. You begin to notice that she has a kind, radiant smile and an easy-going spirit that seems to draw others naturally towards her.
Our plain Jane eventually marries a man who lets say, is pleasing to the eye – and who seems to love her very much. And you wonder, “What’s she got that I ain’t got?”
We’ll call her the tortoise. The woman who started out slow, but who appeared to gain the right momentum as time and life went on. {Everybody knows one – or two}
And then there’s the hare - the woman who seems to have it all together from the git-go. She is the one who starts out in the fast-lane of life. She is part of the in-crowd at school; invited to all the parties, and hangs around with the smart crowd. She wears nice clothes and has the most popular boyfriend. Then she graduates and goes off to college, and ends up marrying the best looking guy in the bunch. But even though her life appears to start off on the fast tract – with making all the right choices – Somehow, after a few years, the hare in our story, seems to end up with just a bunch of broken dreams.
She doesn’t talk about trying to go it alone because her man’s gone (mentally or physically) – or all the secret questions like, “Where did I go wrong?”
She doesn’t speak about the loneliness, or the fear of not having enough money to pay the bills, or the frustration of not being able to get off work and go to the school and see about her child. [You know there always seems to be one who needs more attention than you have to give.]
She doesn’t want to hear, “I told you so,” so she just keeps on smiling, while praying for a better day.
Our Scripture lesson today is not about getting to the finish line. It’s about making that one single divine attachment – the attachment to the nourishing source of life, Jesus Christ.
Although the Bible teaches us that we can do nothing without the Lord, many people start out on their own – without God. And they appear to bear good fruit – with everything going their way. But when you check them out years later, their lives are in bitter ruins and they have a bitter tongue to match. So what happened? They were in the fast tract for success, but they were in the wrong lane.
The Bible tells us there is a way that seems right to a man, but the way thereof leads to death.
To be a winner in life, you must be attached to the right source - Christ Jesus. Christ is the vine and God is the vinedresser who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. The branches are those who claim to be followers of Christ. But not every branch is following the teachings of Christ. The fruitful branches are true believers who by their union with Christ, produces much good fruit.
Have you ever seen someone who upon first glance, you thought was very pleasant and you wanted to get to know them? You had a good impression - until they opened their mouth? Then you found out they are gossips, and liked to pick at other people? God calls them unproductive. And God gives us a formula for knowing who His true believers are. He says, “And you shall know them by the love they have one for another.”
Those who understand the pruning and cutting back process are the ones who remain consistent no matter what’s going on in their lives. They are the ones who cast down imaginations and have determined to let nothing turn them aside from remaining attached to Jesus Christ. They’ve learned to cultivate a view from the Cross. They love even when no one loves them back. They listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit instead of the voice of the world. They understand that the harvest cannot come without the vinedresser’s cutting back dead things in their lives and separating out people that don’t belong in their lives or within the body of Christ.
Consistency means keeping a song in your heart – a sacred place where you repeat over and over again, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me!” And God says, “Because she knows my name, I will answer her!”
Being a woman of God means always abiding in the Lord, - not sometimes but always - no matter the circumstances. It means understanding that if there is no Cross, there can be no Crown!
It means leaning not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledging Him and allowing God to direct your path.
I want to ask you something today church. Are you saved?” Do you know that God has no obligation towards you if you are not under a covenant agreement with Him?
Remember Ruth? She was a widowed, Gentile woman who attached herself to her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi, and in so doing, she attached herself to the entire Jewish nation. What did Naomi have that Ruth did not have? She had God. How did she do it?
Ruth attached herself by speaking covenant language to Naomi: “Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people. Where you die, I will die, and here I will be buried” (Ruth 1:16,17).
The results of this powerful, God-ordained attachment were more far-reaching than Ruth could have ever known.
She attached herself to God’s people, but most importantly, she attached herself to the genealogy and lineage of Jesus Christ.
Through her marriage to Boaz, she gave birth to Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David . . . through whom Jesus Christ was a descendant.
Ruth cooperated with God to change her life and to change the world through making one decision – a divine attachment. You may not know God’s plans for your life. But you do know that He has one.
I am reminded of a song: Must Jesus bear the Cross along, and all the world go free? No, there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a Cross for you and for me!”
“Do you know the Lord, Jesus Christ? Are you saved?” Sometimes we attach ourselves to men and to things. When these things disappoint us, it is then that we know the truth of the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other god before me.”
Are you attached to the giver of life – not only the author and finisher – but the editor of your life?
Do you put him first in your life? If you’re on the fast tract of life and feel nothing but disappointment and frustration – you feel something is missing, I’m here to help you out today – to tell you what is missing.
I want to encourage you, and tell you that you can have joy and peace through union with the giver of life today. Attach yourself to God, and abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will come into your heart today. He will send His Holy Spirit to comfort and teach you all truth.
If you will abide in Him, He promises to move mountains and give you the desires of your heart. But apart from Him, you can do nothing.
Let us pray: From John 15:7 “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Focus Statement: “What She Got That I Ain’t Got?” And the answer is the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Father help us to know that we are powerful Women of God – Ones who have resurrection power within. We have been given the ability to believe You through Faith, and to move mountains if we would only believe... In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Benediction: And now to Him who died and rose again. To Jesus Christ, the only wise God our Master who has washed us in His own blood. To the one Who is able to make us stand faultless before His Father in Heaven; to Him be majesty, power and dominion forever, and ever Amen.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Is Jesus the Savior of your Life or the God of Death?
Mark 6:1-6
Focus Scripture: “And He could do no miracles there . . . .”
Jesus left the home of a little Girl whom He had raised back to life and went back to His hometown. Before that, He had been walking the countryside where a throng of people were pressing in on Him. They were following Him because He was teaching them the Word of God. He was also healing the sick, feeding the hungry and casting out demons who were binding the people so that they could not see, or hear or speak properly.
When Jesus went to His hometown, His disciples came along. It was Jesus’ custom to go to Church. So on the Sabbath; He gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. And they said "We had no idea He was this good!" "How in the world did He get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?"
For a few minutes, their minds knew and accepted that this cannot be who we thought He was. In that moment, they knew that there was something different – something more than what we know about Him. Someone more than who we see standing before us. If only their minds had stayed right there – with those thoughts! Christ would have become the God of life to them. They would have believed His report, repented and accepted salvation.
But in the next breath they were cutting him down to size – chipping away at what God was trying to get through to their minds. "He's just a carpenter—Mary's boy. We've known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters.
It seems that no matter how successful you become – no matter how long you stay away from your family and friends – you can become the President of the United States – but when you go back home, back to your family and around the old neighborhood – you are just the boy they remember seeing growing up, running around the neighborhood. And thus, it was with Jesus.
No matter how elegant He talked, no matter how much it sounded like the truth, they couldn’t get past the fact that they knew Him as He grew up. In this way, Christ became the God of Death to them. In other words, their sins remained because they did not hear, repent and ask for forgiveness so that they might be saved. Reminds me of a song: “What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
These people tried to prejudice the minds of the people against him by reminding them of His background. They wanted Jesus to stay in the family box where they had Him.
When people ask you “who is your mama”? Or “Who is your daddy?” “Where are you from?” They are trying to label you and put you in a box. What labels they put on you depends on your answer?
Is not this the carpenter? Jesus had worked with his hands – hard, dirty labor. We can imagine that He had probably worked in that business with his father Joseph. By doing so, He forever gave honor to mechanics – people who work with their hands, and gave eternal encouragement to all persons who eat by the labor of their own hands.
While He was still talking the people were whispering, “Who does he think he is?" In this way, they tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.
Now to trip means literally to stop moving forward - something got in the way - they got in the way – their own thought patterns. They couldn’t move beyond the natural knowledge that they knew about Him to the divine information that He was trying to get into their heads.
An example: You’ve known the preacher in your church for a good little while. Long enough to revere and believe that the Word he preaches is sent of God. You’re enjoying the benefits of walking by faith. Then wham, somebody tells you something negative – or you simply hear something negative about the preacher or about the church.
Before hearing the bad report, you could learn from that preacher and enjoy serving in that church. Your mind was focused on Divine things.
But after hearing the bad report, your mind was taken off of divine things and you started to focus on the preacher as a human being and on human faults. Your mind could not get beyond what you had learned about the preacher and you began to tune the preacher out – block out the teaching – not understanding you were actually blocking out the Word of God which gives life. You had never quite gotten why we light the candles on Sunday – which signifies that Jesus Christ was both human and divine and therefore so is the church!
This is what happened with Jesus. The people couldn’t get beyond His humanity. They couldn’t get beyond what they already knew about Him.
Verse 5 “And He could do no miracles there . . . “ You see Christ is continuing to do miracles in our lives everyday as He advises us on the right choices to make. When we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we are able to make wise decision. Decisions that help us get around the enemy, avoid danger and continue on the path God has set before us. Only then can we live out the Plans God has for us. Plans to prosper us and give us good health and long life.
The minute you stop believing that God is real and stop consulting the Holy Spirit – that is the minute you stop growing spiritually. You will trip over your own unbelief.
In this passage of Scripture, the people were there, but– their minds closed down and they could no longer gain the benefits from hearing Jesus preach the Word – When their minds tuned Him out, they shut themselves down spiritually! And they continued to the road that leads to death.
Jesus couldn't get over their stubbornness or unbelief. These Nazarenes, the people from Jesus’ hometown lost out when they denied Him praise by saying “Amen!” Instead, He was despised in His own hometown. They became stubborn and prejudiced against Jesus!
Today, God still cannot get over stubbornness and unbelief. Don’t let the preacher or anyone else send you to Hell. God gives us the power to look beyond the human and see the divine.
My prayer for you: Lord help our unbelief. May God’s grace deliver us from that unbelief, which renders Christ a savior of death, rather than the God of life to the soul. Let us, like our Master, go out and teach others the way of salvation.
Benediction: And now unto Him who came to earth to teach us the way. To the only wise God our Savior Jesus Christ who died and was raise again to life. To Jesus Christ who is able to present us faultless before His Father in Heaven. To Jesus Christ belong the glory, dominion and power forever and ever. AMEN, AMEN and AMEN!
Focus Scripture: “And He could do no miracles there . . . .”
Jesus left the home of a little Girl whom He had raised back to life and went back to His hometown. Before that, He had been walking the countryside where a throng of people were pressing in on Him. They were following Him because He was teaching them the Word of God. He was also healing the sick, feeding the hungry and casting out demons who were binding the people so that they could not see, or hear or speak properly.
When Jesus went to His hometown, His disciples came along. It was Jesus’ custom to go to Church. So on the Sabbath; He gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. And they said "We had no idea He was this good!" "How in the world did He get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?"
For a few minutes, their minds knew and accepted that this cannot be who we thought He was. In that moment, they knew that there was something different – something more than what we know about Him. Someone more than who we see standing before us. If only their minds had stayed right there – with those thoughts! Christ would have become the God of life to them. They would have believed His report, repented and accepted salvation.
But in the next breath they were cutting him down to size – chipping away at what God was trying to get through to their minds. "He's just a carpenter—Mary's boy. We've known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters.
It seems that no matter how successful you become – no matter how long you stay away from your family and friends – you can become the President of the United States – but when you go back home, back to your family and around the old neighborhood – you are just the boy they remember seeing growing up, running around the neighborhood. And thus, it was with Jesus.
No matter how elegant He talked, no matter how much it sounded like the truth, they couldn’t get past the fact that they knew Him as He grew up. In this way, Christ became the God of Death to them. In other words, their sins remained because they did not hear, repent and ask for forgiveness so that they might be saved. Reminds me of a song: “What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
These people tried to prejudice the minds of the people against him by reminding them of His background. They wanted Jesus to stay in the family box where they had Him.
When people ask you “who is your mama”? Or “Who is your daddy?” “Where are you from?” They are trying to label you and put you in a box. What labels they put on you depends on your answer?
Is not this the carpenter? Jesus had worked with his hands – hard, dirty labor. We can imagine that He had probably worked in that business with his father Joseph. By doing so, He forever gave honor to mechanics – people who work with their hands, and gave eternal encouragement to all persons who eat by the labor of their own hands.
While He was still talking the people were whispering, “Who does he think he is?" In this way, they tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.
Now to trip means literally to stop moving forward - something got in the way - they got in the way – their own thought patterns. They couldn’t move beyond the natural knowledge that they knew about Him to the divine information that He was trying to get into their heads.
An example: You’ve known the preacher in your church for a good little while. Long enough to revere and believe that the Word he preaches is sent of God. You’re enjoying the benefits of walking by faith. Then wham, somebody tells you something negative – or you simply hear something negative about the preacher or about the church.
Before hearing the bad report, you could learn from that preacher and enjoy serving in that church. Your mind was focused on Divine things.
But after hearing the bad report, your mind was taken off of divine things and you started to focus on the preacher as a human being and on human faults. Your mind could not get beyond what you had learned about the preacher and you began to tune the preacher out – block out the teaching – not understanding you were actually blocking out the Word of God which gives life. You had never quite gotten why we light the candles on Sunday – which signifies that Jesus Christ was both human and divine and therefore so is the church!
This is what happened with Jesus. The people couldn’t get beyond His humanity. They couldn’t get beyond what they already knew about Him.
Verse 5 “And He could do no miracles there . . . “ You see Christ is continuing to do miracles in our lives everyday as He advises us on the right choices to make. When we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we are able to make wise decision. Decisions that help us get around the enemy, avoid danger and continue on the path God has set before us. Only then can we live out the Plans God has for us. Plans to prosper us and give us good health and long life.
The minute you stop believing that God is real and stop consulting the Holy Spirit – that is the minute you stop growing spiritually. You will trip over your own unbelief.
In this passage of Scripture, the people were there, but– their minds closed down and they could no longer gain the benefits from hearing Jesus preach the Word – When their minds tuned Him out, they shut themselves down spiritually! And they continued to the road that leads to death.
Jesus couldn't get over their stubbornness or unbelief. These Nazarenes, the people from Jesus’ hometown lost out when they denied Him praise by saying “Amen!” Instead, He was despised in His own hometown. They became stubborn and prejudiced against Jesus!
Today, God still cannot get over stubbornness and unbelief. Don’t let the preacher or anyone else send you to Hell. God gives us the power to look beyond the human and see the divine.
My prayer for you: Lord help our unbelief. May God’s grace deliver us from that unbelief, which renders Christ a savior of death, rather than the God of life to the soul. Let us, like our Master, go out and teach others the way of salvation.
Benediction: And now unto Him who came to earth to teach us the way. To the only wise God our Savior Jesus Christ who died and was raise again to life. To Jesus Christ who is able to present us faultless before His Father in Heaven. To Jesus Christ belong the glory, dominion and power forever and ever. AMEN, AMEN and AMEN!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Every Tub Must Sit On It's Own Bottom
Scripture Focus - Luke 12:57 “Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?”
Thought to lift up - “Every Tub Has Got To Sit on It's own Bottom.”
God is bringing an indictment this morning. He is bringing a charge against the church. The judgment is this. God is not pleased with the empty way of worship that you are bringing before Him. God is real and He is aware of everything that goes on. He is aware of every broken promise. He is aware how you say you love Him, but are not willing to make sacrifices for Him.
I want to take you back to a time when you were a child – and for some of you, you don't have far to go. And while I am on the subject, let me tell you that every human being has two ages. What do you mean preacher? 1) they have a physical age from the beginning of exit from their mother's wound. 2) we also have a cognitive age – the age of the development of our brain/reasoning power. In this case of remembering, it don't make a difference – just that you remember a time ago when the teacher or principal would call your mama or daddy because you had gotten into something. Perhaps you go caught cheating on a test, or you got into a fight, took something or cursed the teacher – or you just plain acted up in class. When they came, Mama or Daddy had to hear all about it. And later on – if you were lucky, you would get one of the worse whippings of your life!
But now that you've grown up, Mama and Daddy don't get called. You have to stand on your own bottom. Discern the difference between right and wrong for yourself and decide for yourself which way to go. Unlike public school, you are now in the school of hard knocks. And I'm here to tell you today, life does not believe in taking any captives. In life, every tub has a bottom and every tub stands on its own bottom – not someone else's.
In this passage of Scripture in Luke, Jesus is in the height of His ministry. He is going around the countryside teaching and preaching. He has drawn the attention of the Pharisees – who are angry with him. They try to plot and trap Him (Have you ever been in a situation where you was trying to do the best that you could, and someone was out to hurt you – to criticize everything that you tried to do? No matter which way you turned, trouble was present on every hand – well this was Jesus.) He was going around trying to do good. Trying to teach that the Kingdom of God had come – in Him. Tell the people what they must do to be saved.... casting out demons, healing the sick – setting those captured by the devil free. And He was saying some hard stuff – listen in to His conversation.
Starting at verse 49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth – now that's enough to scare some people right there – and how I wish it were already kindled! But - this signifies something has to happen first. In this simple word, the rubber meets the road for Jesus. The “but” for us might be, Man I want to, but (you fill in the blank). You know, I would like to, but (you fill in the blank). Jesus continues, “I have a Baptism to go to and how distressed I am until it is completed.” Now, Jesus is talking about the Cross – and we can look at all that occurred on the Cross . . . how he was whipped, jabbed in the side ..and Jesus seems to be saying I am anxious to go.
Stay right there awhile! Now, I don't know about you, but anxious to go and have all that done to you? Well, some of you might be saying perhaps, he is saying that he is going to to his Baptism by John the Baptist, but that had already taken place – almost three years earlier at the beginning of His ministry. And since we know his ministry was only three years – he must nearing the end and headed straight for the cross.
No, Jesus was not speaking of that Baptism. He was speaking of His coming suffering on the Cross. He was also speaking of the coming sufferings of each of His followers. Jesus was saying, “I can't run away. I gotta sit on my own bottom.”
And each of us has to sit on our own bottoms if we are going to follow Jesus. Jesus was saying My Mama can't go to the Cross for me. My Father in Heaven can't take my place. He sent me and I gotta bear that cross for myself.
When Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, he was looking to His crucifixion in grateful obedience. Oh, He did not look forward to the physical pain or the spiritual separation from God – that would accompany His death. But He did look forward to carrying out His Father's Will and being the Savior of the World. His heart was set so greatly on the redemption and salvation of mankind because of the great love God has for us that Jesus put His own comfort and His need for self preservation on the back burner.
I want to ask you today, is there anyone that you love more than yourself – that you are willing to put your need for self gratification on the back burner – in order that you might be a creditable witness for Jesus Christ?
Is there anyone that you care about – be it mother, father, sister or brother or friend – a girlfriend or boyfriend – that you are willing to put your need to party on the back burner for? People are dying for lack of knowledge. You know the truth, but are you willing to share it with anyone?
Just as God had baptized the Israelites in the red sea, God was about to baptize His own Son with fire and water. And Jesus had to go by Himself. He couldn't wait for the disciples – whom He called friends. He couldn't wait for Mama or His sisters and brothers.
The message that Jesus is sending in this passage of scripture – He is telling those around Him that they too must bear with hardships and difficulties. For every tub has to sit on its own bottom. You can't go by what Daddy did in the church. You gotta do it for yourself. You can't use the excuse that I came up in the streets – nobody was there for me – you know the truth now, and you gotta sit on your own bottom!
In v. 51 “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?” The disciples didn't realize that not everyone wanted to be saved. We can be like that. We think everybody will welcome the Gospel with open arms. “But,” Christ is warning us – not everyone will accept Jesus – not only will they not accept Him, they actively oppose everyone who accepts Jesus. In other words, they are gonna try to stop you from spreading the message of salvation. They are going to put stumbling blocks in front of you! The Gospel, He is saying, will cause division.
V. 52 “From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Do you know that just because someone is physically related to you – you have the same father or same mother – or both, they may not be spiritually related to you? When you became a believer, you were rejoined to the family of God You moved up and away from your natural family into Jesus Christ. !Some of you don't realize that yet!
You see beloved, when a person receives Jesus Christ as His/Her Savior, that person is immediately separated from the unbelievers around them. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 says “If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God – it is not something we do ourselves.” We become ambassadors to the Word for God!
An ambassador is an agent or representative. In other words, we become just like the disciples whom Jesus called and walked with one by one. We are now His disciples – whether you understand it or accept it or not. This which is done is supernatural. We can't see it, but the devil can see it! HE KNOWS that we promised to follow Jesus. He also knows that we are not serving Him. .
Now that we are a new creation, we can't depend on Mama and Daddy or grandmama or sister or brother. Some of them are not saved – and it's our duty to walk so before them that they will see our good works and come running to us to say “What must I do to be saved?” Some of us, because we are not following Jesus, are putting nails in His coffin every day. [that's not Bren Wilson, that's the Bible!] And the truth shall set you free. . .
You see, the Gospel demands a response from everyone who accepts salvation. Joshua said it best, “Choose ye this day whom you will serve?” As each one chooses, people are lined up by God – separated supernaturally – depending on their response.
Some hearts are filled with pride and prejudice and they are resisting the Gospel message. They are choosing not to judge what is wrong and what is right.
Some hearts know the truth, but they don't want to make the sacrifices to become disciples – they can't hurt people's feelings or risk being separated from family and friends.
When you choose to follow Jesus, some family and friends will refuse to join you in following Him. Division will occur – God is causing this to happen. You try to hold on to the life you had before joining the family of God and it cannot be so – What fellowship does darkness have with light? What fellowship can wolves have with sheep? There is no middle ground. Loyalties must be declared. Commitments must be made! Sometimes to the point of breaking up relationships – breaking up homes, breaking up business partners and friendships.
Now, some of us don't like to hear that. We like to be gentle and kind towards everyone, treat everyone right – and we should be. But you must understand that everybody is not going to be gentle and kind towards you! And some of us are still trying to figure our why I have so much animosity and hostility coming towards me.
When we are snubbed, lied on and talked about, James said we ought to count it all joy because that is a sign that we are truly disciples of Christ. You have to remember that those people who are treating you that way are not the ones who saved you – they are in need of being saved.
When they hurt your feelings, that's a challenge and a trap! When you hear that someone has been talking about you, that's a challenge and a trap. When they don't include you, don't speak to you, that's a challenge and a trap.
Understand this - If the spirit of God dwells within you, it's not you that they hate, it is the Holy Spirit within you. At times like this, we must remember that the battle is not ours, it's the Lord's!
I'll tell you something else. The devil knows the name of every believer. He knows that Christ has made you an ambassador for taking the Gospel message – whether you are doing that or not. He can't take your disobedience and use it for His kingdom. He can shine a spotlight on you as a “suppose to be Christian” and say “Is this what a child of God is suppose to be doing?” “Is this how a child of God is suppose to be acting?” Then instead of people joining the church, they are repelled by your false witness. So the devil sits and sets traps for you strategically designed to stop you from being a witness. Strategically designed to cause you to sit down on God or walk out of His will for your life.
Conclusion:” Jesus tells us we will be hated for His namesake. But He also tells us to be of good courage for He has overcome the world. He gives us peace to go through – joy in the midst of the storms. He gives us encouragement through His word and through the example He has set for us.
And He's coming back again to take us to Himself. What a glorious time it will be! He will divide the sheep from the goats. We who are blessed of the Father – we who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior – we have a work to do. We must stand on our own bottom – do the work that has been set before us – and that is to make disciples for the Kingdom of God. We do that through our actions as well as what we say. If we do that on earth, then we will hear Jesus say, “Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, now come sit and enjoy the table that has been set before you – won't be no diabetes or high blood pressure to worry about. Won't be no upset stomach or irritable bowels to worry about – we'll be able to feast all day and all night – at the table that Jesus prepares for us.
Let us Pray: Father, in the name of Jesus - Help us to have the courage to make up our own minds to serve you in season and out of season. Help us to remember that we are always ambassadors for you and to seek every opportunity to lift up the name of Jesus – understanding that we will be opposed, we will be talked about, lied on and rejected for the cause of Jesus Christ.
And now to Him who came to show us the way – to the only wise God, Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross at Calvary and on the third day rose again – to the one who has washed us in His own blood and is able to present us faultless before His father in Heaven – to Him be power, glory and dominion forever and ever . . . Amen.
Thought to lift up - “Every Tub Has Got To Sit on It's own Bottom.”
God is bringing an indictment this morning. He is bringing a charge against the church. The judgment is this. God is not pleased with the empty way of worship that you are bringing before Him. God is real and He is aware of everything that goes on. He is aware of every broken promise. He is aware how you say you love Him, but are not willing to make sacrifices for Him.
I want to take you back to a time when you were a child – and for some of you, you don't have far to go. And while I am on the subject, let me tell you that every human being has two ages. What do you mean preacher? 1) they have a physical age from the beginning of exit from their mother's wound. 2) we also have a cognitive age – the age of the development of our brain/reasoning power. In this case of remembering, it don't make a difference – just that you remember a time ago when the teacher or principal would call your mama or daddy because you had gotten into something. Perhaps you go caught cheating on a test, or you got into a fight, took something or cursed the teacher – or you just plain acted up in class. When they came, Mama or Daddy had to hear all about it. And later on – if you were lucky, you would get one of the worse whippings of your life!
But now that you've grown up, Mama and Daddy don't get called. You have to stand on your own bottom. Discern the difference between right and wrong for yourself and decide for yourself which way to go. Unlike public school, you are now in the school of hard knocks. And I'm here to tell you today, life does not believe in taking any captives. In life, every tub has a bottom and every tub stands on its own bottom – not someone else's.
In this passage of Scripture in Luke, Jesus is in the height of His ministry. He is going around the countryside teaching and preaching. He has drawn the attention of the Pharisees – who are angry with him. They try to plot and trap Him (Have you ever been in a situation where you was trying to do the best that you could, and someone was out to hurt you – to criticize everything that you tried to do? No matter which way you turned, trouble was present on every hand – well this was Jesus.) He was going around trying to do good. Trying to teach that the Kingdom of God had come – in Him. Tell the people what they must do to be saved.... casting out demons, healing the sick – setting those captured by the devil free. And He was saying some hard stuff – listen in to His conversation.
Starting at verse 49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth – now that's enough to scare some people right there – and how I wish it were already kindled! But - this signifies something has to happen first. In this simple word, the rubber meets the road for Jesus. The “but” for us might be, Man I want to, but (you fill in the blank). You know, I would like to, but (you fill in the blank). Jesus continues, “I have a Baptism to go to and how distressed I am until it is completed.” Now, Jesus is talking about the Cross – and we can look at all that occurred on the Cross . . . how he was whipped, jabbed in the side ..and Jesus seems to be saying I am anxious to go.
Stay right there awhile! Now, I don't know about you, but anxious to go and have all that done to you? Well, some of you might be saying perhaps, he is saying that he is going to to his Baptism by John the Baptist, but that had already taken place – almost three years earlier at the beginning of His ministry. And since we know his ministry was only three years – he must nearing the end and headed straight for the cross.
No, Jesus was not speaking of that Baptism. He was speaking of His coming suffering on the Cross. He was also speaking of the coming sufferings of each of His followers. Jesus was saying, “I can't run away. I gotta sit on my own bottom.”
And each of us has to sit on our own bottoms if we are going to follow Jesus. Jesus was saying My Mama can't go to the Cross for me. My Father in Heaven can't take my place. He sent me and I gotta bear that cross for myself.
When Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, he was looking to His crucifixion in grateful obedience. Oh, He did not look forward to the physical pain or the spiritual separation from God – that would accompany His death. But He did look forward to carrying out His Father's Will and being the Savior of the World. His heart was set so greatly on the redemption and salvation of mankind because of the great love God has for us that Jesus put His own comfort and His need for self preservation on the back burner.
I want to ask you today, is there anyone that you love more than yourself – that you are willing to put your need for self gratification on the back burner – in order that you might be a creditable witness for Jesus Christ?
Is there anyone that you care about – be it mother, father, sister or brother or friend – a girlfriend or boyfriend – that you are willing to put your need to party on the back burner for? People are dying for lack of knowledge. You know the truth, but are you willing to share it with anyone?
Just as God had baptized the Israelites in the red sea, God was about to baptize His own Son with fire and water. And Jesus had to go by Himself. He couldn't wait for the disciples – whom He called friends. He couldn't wait for Mama or His sisters and brothers.
The message that Jesus is sending in this passage of scripture – He is telling those around Him that they too must bear with hardships and difficulties. For every tub has to sit on its own bottom. You can't go by what Daddy did in the church. You gotta do it for yourself. You can't use the excuse that I came up in the streets – nobody was there for me – you know the truth now, and you gotta sit on your own bottom!
In v. 51 “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?” The disciples didn't realize that not everyone wanted to be saved. We can be like that. We think everybody will welcome the Gospel with open arms. “But,” Christ is warning us – not everyone will accept Jesus – not only will they not accept Him, they actively oppose everyone who accepts Jesus. In other words, they are gonna try to stop you from spreading the message of salvation. They are going to put stumbling blocks in front of you! The Gospel, He is saying, will cause division.
V. 52 “From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Do you know that just because someone is physically related to you – you have the same father or same mother – or both, they may not be spiritually related to you? When you became a believer, you were rejoined to the family of God You moved up and away from your natural family into Jesus Christ. !Some of you don't realize that yet!
You see beloved, when a person receives Jesus Christ as His/Her Savior, that person is immediately separated from the unbelievers around them. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 says “If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God – it is not something we do ourselves.” We become ambassadors to the Word for God!
An ambassador is an agent or representative. In other words, we become just like the disciples whom Jesus called and walked with one by one. We are now His disciples – whether you understand it or accept it or not. This which is done is supernatural. We can't see it, but the devil can see it! HE KNOWS that we promised to follow Jesus. He also knows that we are not serving Him. .
Now that we are a new creation, we can't depend on Mama and Daddy or grandmama or sister or brother. Some of them are not saved – and it's our duty to walk so before them that they will see our good works and come running to us to say “What must I do to be saved?” Some of us, because we are not following Jesus, are putting nails in His coffin every day. [that's not Bren Wilson, that's the Bible!] And the truth shall set you free. . .
You see, the Gospel demands a response from everyone who accepts salvation. Joshua said it best, “Choose ye this day whom you will serve?” As each one chooses, people are lined up by God – separated supernaturally – depending on their response.
Some hearts are filled with pride and prejudice and they are resisting the Gospel message. They are choosing not to judge what is wrong and what is right.
Some hearts know the truth, but they don't want to make the sacrifices to become disciples – they can't hurt people's feelings or risk being separated from family and friends.
When you choose to follow Jesus, some family and friends will refuse to join you in following Him. Division will occur – God is causing this to happen. You try to hold on to the life you had before joining the family of God and it cannot be so – What fellowship does darkness have with light? What fellowship can wolves have with sheep? There is no middle ground. Loyalties must be declared. Commitments must be made! Sometimes to the point of breaking up relationships – breaking up homes, breaking up business partners and friendships.
Now, some of us don't like to hear that. We like to be gentle and kind towards everyone, treat everyone right – and we should be. But you must understand that everybody is not going to be gentle and kind towards you! And some of us are still trying to figure our why I have so much animosity and hostility coming towards me.
When we are snubbed, lied on and talked about, James said we ought to count it all joy because that is a sign that we are truly disciples of Christ. You have to remember that those people who are treating you that way are not the ones who saved you – they are in need of being saved.
When they hurt your feelings, that's a challenge and a trap! When you hear that someone has been talking about you, that's a challenge and a trap. When they don't include you, don't speak to you, that's a challenge and a trap.
Understand this - If the spirit of God dwells within you, it's not you that they hate, it is the Holy Spirit within you. At times like this, we must remember that the battle is not ours, it's the Lord's!
I'll tell you something else. The devil knows the name of every believer. He knows that Christ has made you an ambassador for taking the Gospel message – whether you are doing that or not. He can't take your disobedience and use it for His kingdom. He can shine a spotlight on you as a “suppose to be Christian” and say “Is this what a child of God is suppose to be doing?” “Is this how a child of God is suppose to be acting?” Then instead of people joining the church, they are repelled by your false witness. So the devil sits and sets traps for you strategically designed to stop you from being a witness. Strategically designed to cause you to sit down on God or walk out of His will for your life.
Conclusion:” Jesus tells us we will be hated for His namesake. But He also tells us to be of good courage for He has overcome the world. He gives us peace to go through – joy in the midst of the storms. He gives us encouragement through His word and through the example He has set for us.
And He's coming back again to take us to Himself. What a glorious time it will be! He will divide the sheep from the goats. We who are blessed of the Father – we who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior – we have a work to do. We must stand on our own bottom – do the work that has been set before us – and that is to make disciples for the Kingdom of God. We do that through our actions as well as what we say. If we do that on earth, then we will hear Jesus say, “Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, now come sit and enjoy the table that has been set before you – won't be no diabetes or high blood pressure to worry about. Won't be no upset stomach or irritable bowels to worry about – we'll be able to feast all day and all night – at the table that Jesus prepares for us.
Let us Pray: Father, in the name of Jesus - Help us to have the courage to make up our own minds to serve you in season and out of season. Help us to remember that we are always ambassadors for you and to seek every opportunity to lift up the name of Jesus – understanding that we will be opposed, we will be talked about, lied on and rejected for the cause of Jesus Christ.
And now to Him who came to show us the way – to the only wise God, Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross at Calvary and on the third day rose again – to the one who has washed us in His own blood and is able to present us faultless before His father in Heaven – to Him be power, glory and dominion forever and ever . . . Amen.
Monday, May 4, 2009
FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS
“And Moses said unto God, Who Am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And He said, “Certainly I will be with thee.” (Exodus 3:11-12)
Have you ever had a Holy Spirit inspired dream of doing something really great for Jesus? A dream of being so prosperous, for instance, that you can finance a nationwide revival? A dream of leading thousands of people to Christ the Lord?
At one time or another, you probably have had such dreams, but perhaps you backed away from them. Maybe you thought, “Oh my, I couldn't do that! Satan's kept me defeated for so long I have a poor self- image.”
If so, I have some good news for you. If you'll believe God, even a poor self-image won't keep you from success. Look in the book of Exodus and you'll see a man who proved that. His name was Moses.
Moses didn't have a very good self-image. He'd made a terrible mistake early in his career. It was a mistake that drove him into the wilderness and kept him there for 40 years herding somebody's else's sheep.
He'd once dreamed of being a deliverer of God's people, but no more. As far as he was concerned, he was finished . . . a failure . . . a flop!
What are your dreams? As kids, we dream of being all sorts of things – of doing great things! But like Moses, slowly those dreams died as life took over.
But God didn't think the dreams were impossible. In fact, when God came to Moses in that wilderness, He didn't ask for Moses' credentials. He didn't mention his shady history. He just told him to go see Pharaoh and tell him to let God's people go!
Moses, however, was still wrestling with his poor self-image. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” he stammered.
You know what God said in response. He just said, “Certainly, I will be with thee.”
You see, it didn't matter who Moses was. What mattered was that the living God was with him. The same thing is true for you today. You don't need a history of success behind you to answer God's call. You don't need a string of spiritual credentials. All you need is the presence of the Holy Spirit living within you.
Think about that when the devil tells you you're a failure; when he says you'll never amount to anything – or be able to do what God has put in your head to do. Put him in his place. Tell him it doesn't matter who you are because the living God is with you! . . . and follow your dreams!
Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-14
Have you ever had a Holy Spirit inspired dream of doing something really great for Jesus? A dream of being so prosperous, for instance, that you can finance a nationwide revival? A dream of leading thousands of people to Christ the Lord?
At one time or another, you probably have had such dreams, but perhaps you backed away from them. Maybe you thought, “Oh my, I couldn't do that! Satan's kept me defeated for so long I have a poor self- image.”
If so, I have some good news for you. If you'll believe God, even a poor self-image won't keep you from success. Look in the book of Exodus and you'll see a man who proved that. His name was Moses.
Moses didn't have a very good self-image. He'd made a terrible mistake early in his career. It was a mistake that drove him into the wilderness and kept him there for 40 years herding somebody's else's sheep.
He'd once dreamed of being a deliverer of God's people, but no more. As far as he was concerned, he was finished . . . a failure . . . a flop!
What are your dreams? As kids, we dream of being all sorts of things – of doing great things! But like Moses, slowly those dreams died as life took over.
But God didn't think the dreams were impossible. In fact, when God came to Moses in that wilderness, He didn't ask for Moses' credentials. He didn't mention his shady history. He just told him to go see Pharaoh and tell him to let God's people go!
Moses, however, was still wrestling with his poor self-image. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” he stammered.
You know what God said in response. He just said, “Certainly, I will be with thee.”
You see, it didn't matter who Moses was. What mattered was that the living God was with him. The same thing is true for you today. You don't need a history of success behind you to answer God's call. You don't need a string of spiritual credentials. All you need is the presence of the Holy Spirit living within you.
Think about that when the devil tells you you're a failure; when he says you'll never amount to anything – or be able to do what God has put in your head to do. Put him in his place. Tell him it doesn't matter who you are because the living God is with you! . . . and follow your dreams!
Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-14
Friday, April 10, 2009
Vessels of Mercy
"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15
The Bible seems to speak of forgiveness in at least two different ways. In an ultimate sense, forgiveness refers to God's eternal pardon of all our sins when we look to Christ as the only One who can make us right with God (John 5:14; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:7). No action on our part - I'm going to say that phrase again. "No action on our part" can make that happen. This is the mystery of grace - God's undeserved favor to sinful men (Ephesians 2:8-9). Theologians call this "justification." Fully forgiven, we enter into relationship with a holy God.
Another kind of forgiveness mentioned in the Bible is the ongoing cleansing we need in order to maintain daily intimacy with God (1John 1:9). It is this second kind of forgiveness that Jesus speaks of in the verses above. If we refuse to show mercy to those who have wronged us, we distance ourselves from God and will cease to experience and appreciate his wonderful love.
As you come to know God and receive mercy for daily wrongs, ask yourself, "Have I forgiven all those who have wronged me?" Remember, "Forgiveness begins at home."
Let us pray: Today, Lord remind me of the shocking way in which you cancelled my debt of sin, and let that undeserved mercy move me to treat others with similar mercy. Amen.
The Bible seems to speak of forgiveness in at least two different ways. In an ultimate sense, forgiveness refers to God's eternal pardon of all our sins when we look to Christ as the only One who can make us right with God (John 5:14; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:7). No action on our part - I'm going to say that phrase again. "No action on our part" can make that happen. This is the mystery of grace - God's undeserved favor to sinful men (Ephesians 2:8-9). Theologians call this "justification." Fully forgiven, we enter into relationship with a holy God.
Another kind of forgiveness mentioned in the Bible is the ongoing cleansing we need in order to maintain daily intimacy with God (1John 1:9). It is this second kind of forgiveness that Jesus speaks of in the verses above. If we refuse to show mercy to those who have wronged us, we distance ourselves from God and will cease to experience and appreciate his wonderful love.
As you come to know God and receive mercy for daily wrongs, ask yourself, "Have I forgiven all those who have wronged me?" Remember, "Forgiveness begins at home."
Let us pray: Today, Lord remind me of the shocking way in which you cancelled my debt of sin, and let that undeserved mercy move me to treat others with similar mercy. Amen.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Stepping Over the Line
| “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37) The Bible calls us kings and priests (Rev. 1:6) and world overcomers (1 John 5:44). For many of us, those phrases are still becoming real in our lives. We’re still learning who we really are! If you’ll look in 1 Chronicles, Chapter 14, you’ll read that David had a similar problem. He’d been anointed king by the prophet Samuel when he was just a teenager. He’d known for years that someday he’d rule over Israel. Yet and still somehow, it hadn’t really sunk in. But look at what happens in verse 2: “And David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.” Ah-h! Finally, it dawned on him! David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king. I can just imagine David saying to himself, “I’m king. I’m actually king! I AM KING!” At that moment, being king ceased to be something David had only thought about. It became something he really was. He could actually see himself as king. What does that have to do with you and me? Much like David, you and I have been given a royal office. But it’d not until we believe it that we can exercise the power and authority that goes with that office. If you’re sick, you can yell, “By His stripes I’m healed,” 50 times a day. You can hope for healing. You can try to believe for healing till your hair turns gray or silver. But if you don’t see yourself as “the healed” instead of “the sick,” you won’t get any supernatural help. Yet once the realization hits you that you are, in fact, “the healed,” no one – not even the devil himself – will be able to keep you from getting well. Likewise, if you come into a marriage and cannot perceive yourself as “wife” or “husband,” – supernatural power and authority were given to you because God ordained marriage - you will not be able to stand when the world comes against the marriage. I challenge you to step over the line from trying to believe to actually knowing by dwelling in the Secret place of the most high (Psalm 91), and meditating on the Word until the reality of your royalty in Christ Jesus rises up in you! Scripture reading: Ephesians 1:3-23 |
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