"Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:18-20 NLT
God created us to enjoy community. The reason God created woman was because man was alone. God said that loneliness wasn't good. Yet, many of us live out our lives apart from the Church or Body of Christ. We say we love Jesus, but we don't need or want to be with His people. My former pastor said that attitude was like saying, "I love my wife's head, but don't need her body."
Some of us have been hurt by the Church. Some of us just don't see the relevance of the Church. Yet, the Bible makes it clear that it's in the Church that we experience the continuous filling of God's Spirit and presence.
In the Church is where our lives find meaning and purpose, as the gifts of God are confirmed and affirmed in us. In the Church is where we find comfort, accountability and love. It is the Church that represents Jesus to a lost and dying world. How good of a job are we doing?
"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10:24,25
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Hearing His Voice
"'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.'" John 10:27,28 NLT
Jesus said that His people would hear His voice and follow Him. He likens Himself to a shepherd and those He's calling as sheep. A shepherd leads his sheep. He cares for his sheep. He will even lay down his life for his sheep. Sheep are vulnerable. They will stray. They will walk into danger. They will starve or get dehydrated.
An interesting fact about sheep, is that they know the individual voice of their shepherd and will only follow that voice. You can keep various flocks in the same pen, but they will separate themselves by listening to the shepherd's voice.
Jesus is calling. Can you hear Him? He offers forgiveness of sins, eternal life, strength for today and hope for tomorrow. It doesn't matter what you have done. Where you have been. Or what has been done to you. It's all about what has been done for you. Jesus laid down His life at the cross for you. Why? Because He loves you. Now He is calling you to follow Him. He won't drive you like a flock of sheep. He'll gently lead you as the Shepherd of your soul. He will lovingly grasp your hand as He leads you through the difficult pastures of this life and into the kingdom of eternal life.
Jesus is calling you. Do you recognize His voice? Will you follow Him?
Jesus said that His people would hear His voice and follow Him. He likens Himself to a shepherd and those He's calling as sheep. A shepherd leads his sheep. He cares for his sheep. He will even lay down his life for his sheep. Sheep are vulnerable. They will stray. They will walk into danger. They will starve or get dehydrated.
An interesting fact about sheep, is that they know the individual voice of their shepherd and will only follow that voice. You can keep various flocks in the same pen, but they will separate themselves by listening to the shepherd's voice.
Jesus is calling. Can you hear Him? He offers forgiveness of sins, eternal life, strength for today and hope for tomorrow. It doesn't matter what you have done. Where you have been. Or what has been done to you. It's all about what has been done for you. Jesus laid down His life at the cross for you. Why? Because He loves you. Now He is calling you to follow Him. He won't drive you like a flock of sheep. He'll gently lead you as the Shepherd of your soul. He will lovingly grasp your hand as He leads you through the difficult pastures of this life and into the kingdom of eternal life.
Jesus is calling you. Do you recognize His voice? Will you follow Him?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Unaware?
"As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, 'I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.'
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!'” Genesis 28:12-16 NLT
I woke up thinking about Jacob today. Jacob was on his way to find a wife. While on his journey he had a dream. In his dream the Lord revealed Himself, His plans for Jacob and His blessing for him. That isn't what had me thinking about Jacob. It was his statement after he awoke from the dream, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
I wonder how many times we go through our lives unaware of the presence of God? I've heard it said that God is speaking, but we have "static" in our receivers that keeps us from hearing Him. He is moving. The Greek word for the Holy Spirit is wind. The wind blows. The Spirit of God moves. But do we recognize the Holy wind of God around us?
There are obstacles to being aware of the presence of God and His activity around us. We can get caught up in our agendas. The daily demands of life keep us too busy to slow down and observe God at work. We are afraid to think that God still speaks and reveals Himself. We are afraid to think of what He may say or ask of us. Maybe, we are afraid of what others might think if we acknowledge that we see and hear the Lord.
So, are you aware of the presence of the Lord in your life? Can you feel Him moving? Do you recognize His voice?
More to come...
At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, 'I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.'
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!'” Genesis 28:12-16 NLT
I woke up thinking about Jacob today. Jacob was on his way to find a wife. While on his journey he had a dream. In his dream the Lord revealed Himself, His plans for Jacob and His blessing for him. That isn't what had me thinking about Jacob. It was his statement after he awoke from the dream, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
I wonder how many times we go through our lives unaware of the presence of God? I've heard it said that God is speaking, but we have "static" in our receivers that keeps us from hearing Him. He is moving. The Greek word for the Holy Spirit is wind. The wind blows. The Spirit of God moves. But do we recognize the Holy wind of God around us?
There are obstacles to being aware of the presence of God and His activity around us. We can get caught up in our agendas. The daily demands of life keep us too busy to slow down and observe God at work. We are afraid to think that God still speaks and reveals Himself. We are afraid to think of what He may say or ask of us. Maybe, we are afraid of what others might think if we acknowledge that we see and hear the Lord.
So, are you aware of the presence of the Lord in your life? Can you feel Him moving? Do you recognize His voice?
More to come...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Integrity
"All he does is just and good,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity." Psalm 111:7,8 NLT
I was challenged this morning as I read the above verse. The word "integrity" leaped out at me. We are called to live lives of integrity. Just what does integrity mean anyway?
Integrity is defined as; honesty, without compromise or corruption. Those two words--without compromise--hit me between the eyes like a hammer. What areas of my life have I compromised?
You can be doing a pretty good job living the Christian life. Going along like everything's fine. But if you honestly looked inside yourself, would you find areas of your life that have been compromised? Maybe you've compromised your purity. Maybe your business practices. What about your thoughts or the words coming from your mouth? How are you treating others? How are you using your time and resources? How's your relationship with the Lord?
If the materials or construction practices used on a high rise building are compromised, the integrity of the whole structure is at risk. The building could collapse, burn down or have numerous and costly maintenance issues.
God has created us to live lives that are strong and reflect His glory. We are created in His image. Integrity is part of God's character and He intends it to be part of our character too. If we humble ourselves and ask Him, His Spirit will point out those areas of our lives that we have compromised. Then the choice and responsibility to turn those areas over to Him through repentance is up to us. If we do that, He will lovingly restore our compromised areas of life back to where they should be. And once again, we will bring Him honor.
So, what areas of your life have been compromised? What are you going to do about it?
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity." Psalm 111:7,8 NLT
I was challenged this morning as I read the above verse. The word "integrity" leaped out at me. We are called to live lives of integrity. Just what does integrity mean anyway?
Integrity is defined as; honesty, without compromise or corruption. Those two words--without compromise--hit me between the eyes like a hammer. What areas of my life have I compromised?
You can be doing a pretty good job living the Christian life. Going along like everything's fine. But if you honestly looked inside yourself, would you find areas of your life that have been compromised? Maybe you've compromised your purity. Maybe your business practices. What about your thoughts or the words coming from your mouth? How are you treating others? How are you using your time and resources? How's your relationship with the Lord?
If the materials or construction practices used on a high rise building are compromised, the integrity of the whole structure is at risk. The building could collapse, burn down or have numerous and costly maintenance issues.
God has created us to live lives that are strong and reflect His glory. We are created in His image. Integrity is part of God's character and He intends it to be part of our character too. If we humble ourselves and ask Him, His Spirit will point out those areas of our lives that we have compromised. Then the choice and responsibility to turn those areas over to Him through repentance is up to us. If we do that, He will lovingly restore our compromised areas of life back to where they should be. And once again, we will bring Him honor.
So, what areas of your life have been compromised? What are you going to do about it?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
What are You Building On?
“'Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.'" Matthew 7:24-25 NLT
What are you building your life on? Is it your financial power? Or maybe your educational background? Perhaps it's your reputation? Or a noble cause?
We all build our lives on something. We have values, traditions, goals or any number of things that we use as a foundation. Jesus said that the storms of life are inevitable. They will come and crash against us. The storms of illness, job loss, broken relationships, emotional challenges and any other hardships you can think of.
Sounds terrible. But Jesus also promised that by building our lives on Him, we will stand firm in the storms of life's challenges.
So how do we build on Jesus? First, we accept a relationship with Him as our Lord and Savior. Next, we ask for His Spirit to enter and empower us. And last, but not in the bit least, we spend time reading and obeying His word.
The storms of life will buffet us. Who or what are you building your life on?
"When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
but the godly have a lasting foundation." Proverbs 10:25
What are you building your life on? Is it your financial power? Or maybe your educational background? Perhaps it's your reputation? Or a noble cause?
We all build our lives on something. We have values, traditions, goals or any number of things that we use as a foundation. Jesus said that the storms of life are inevitable. They will come and crash against us. The storms of illness, job loss, broken relationships, emotional challenges and any other hardships you can think of.
Sounds terrible. But Jesus also promised that by building our lives on Him, we will stand firm in the storms of life's challenges.
So how do we build on Jesus? First, we accept a relationship with Him as our Lord and Savior. Next, we ask for His Spirit to enter and empower us. And last, but not in the bit least, we spend time reading and obeying His word.
The storms of life will buffet us. Who or what are you building your life on?
"When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
but the godly have a lasting foundation." Proverbs 10:25
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Keeping Up Appearances
“'What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.
What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.'" Matthew 23:25-28 NLT
Have you ever heard the expression," Put on your Sunday best"? In some churches it means dressing in fine clothes. Acting happy and respectable. You know what I mean, the person that has their act together. I think to a greater or lesser extent, we all put on the facade of our "Sunday best".
We have it looking real good when we worship on Sunday. All smiles. Everything's fine. No sin issues. Then like garments, we hang our Sunday best in the closet of our soul, and out comes the real person. Unfortunately, we don't do a real good job at hiding our real selves. The world around us sees us for who we are. That's why Christians have a reputation with some non-Christians as hypocrites. Jesus had the same issue with the clergy of His time.
God is after our hearts, not our appearance. Isn't it time that we get real with God, ourselves and others? We spend too much time making sure we look good, instead of giving ourselves to God and letting Him cleanse our soul.
Come on, let's stop pretending!
What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.'" Matthew 23:25-28 NLT
Have you ever heard the expression," Put on your Sunday best"? In some churches it means dressing in fine clothes. Acting happy and respectable. You know what I mean, the person that has their act together. I think to a greater or lesser extent, we all put on the facade of our "Sunday best".
We have it looking real good when we worship on Sunday. All smiles. Everything's fine. No sin issues. Then like garments, we hang our Sunday best in the closet of our soul, and out comes the real person. Unfortunately, we don't do a real good job at hiding our real selves. The world around us sees us for who we are. That's why Christians have a reputation with some non-Christians as hypocrites. Jesus had the same issue with the clergy of His time.
God is after our hearts, not our appearance. Isn't it time that we get real with God, ourselves and others? We spend too much time making sure we look good, instead of giving ourselves to God and letting Him cleanse our soul.
Come on, let's stop pretending!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Following Christ
"One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!' And they left their nets at once and followed him.
A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed Him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men." Mark 1:16-20 NLT
Have you ever had an encounter with Jesus? Has that encounter ever led you into a relationship as a follower of Jesus?
I'm amazed at the people that I counsel with. Their lives are in crisis. We talk, we pray and Jesus helps them. Maybe it's a relationship, health or financial issue. Once they encounter Jesus and His blessing, off they go. They live life business-as-usual until the next problem. Then they come back for another encounter with Christ. After awhile, they are frustrated because this "Jesus thing" just doesn't work.
Jesus isn't looking for encounters. He's looking for followers. He doesn't just want a date, He wants an eternity relationship with us.
I look at the scriptures and see lots of encounters with Christ. People that He raised from the dead, healed of various illnesses, and gave forgiveness for sins. We know that they were overjoyed and astounded. But we don't really see many followers. I'm amazed at myself. If I have to be honest, my life doesn't always reflect a follower of Jesus. There are times when I seek Christ for the encounter of a blessing. I'm so thankful for His unfailing love!
What about you? Are you content with a Jesus encounter? Or do you yearn for something deeper? Have you heard Jesus calling to your soul? Will you become a Jesus follower?
A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed Him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men." Mark 1:16-20 NLT
Have you ever had an encounter with Jesus? Has that encounter ever led you into a relationship as a follower of Jesus?
I'm amazed at the people that I counsel with. Their lives are in crisis. We talk, we pray and Jesus helps them. Maybe it's a relationship, health or financial issue. Once they encounter Jesus and His blessing, off they go. They live life business-as-usual until the next problem. Then they come back for another encounter with Christ. After awhile, they are frustrated because this "Jesus thing" just doesn't work.
Jesus isn't looking for encounters. He's looking for followers. He doesn't just want a date, He wants an eternity relationship with us.
I look at the scriptures and see lots of encounters with Christ. People that He raised from the dead, healed of various illnesses, and gave forgiveness for sins. We know that they were overjoyed and astounded. But we don't really see many followers. I'm amazed at myself. If I have to be honest, my life doesn't always reflect a follower of Jesus. There are times when I seek Christ for the encounter of a blessing. I'm so thankful for His unfailing love!
What about you? Are you content with a Jesus encounter? Or do you yearn for something deeper? Have you heard Jesus calling to your soul? Will you become a Jesus follower?
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