A Steadfast love!

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Do you sometimes have trouble recalling the love of God in your life? Are you far from God right now? Are there days when you wonder what God is doing with you? Are you struggling right now?

If the answer is yes and ‘I don’t know’ to these questions let me encourage you today. The inventor of love, the Creator of the Universe thinks that you are special! He thinks that you are worthy of His fellowship! Now when I bring that statement to mind how do you feel? I hope it evokes in you a warmth of love and peace because our Father in Heaven wants us all to know that we matter to Him!

These beautifully written verses tell us that His grace and love are new every morning for us. How awesome is that? No matter how badly we’ve screwed up in the past our God wants to mend and forgive. The only issue that keeps us from receiving these promises of love and compassion…is us. Do you doubt? We cannot allow doubt to replace faith in our lives. Doubt can pull us away from God because we just can’t grasp Him in a tangible sense. But know that He is there and faith is the evidence of things unseen and believing in Him!

Do you stumble and trip in sin? I want to caution you that this life isn’t a game. We are granted grace by God, but that grace isn’t some ‘get out of jail’ card that we flash every time we choose to sin and think callously ‘oh well God will forgive me.’ We have to get serious about our faith, meaning if it is in our power, which it is and God can grant us that power, we must avoid the trappings of temptation all together.

Yes God’s love and compassion are steadfast! These attributes of God are not going anywhere, but we have to wise up and shake up our lives in order to receive them from God! He is spurring us to change our patterns and to accept Him and His renewing grace every day! Will you receive it anew today? He loves us so very much and desires for us to love Him back without strings or conditions attached.

This beautiful passage always strikes a chord in my life and evokes for me a sense of His perfect peace that He offers anew to us each and every day. How awesome is that?!

June 5, 2013 0

Have You Forgotten???

Psalm 103:2-6 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Do you have trouble remembering what God has done for you? Are you lacking in your confidence that He is actually there for you? Sometimes it’s beneficial to read scripture passages such as Psalm 103 to bring to mind once again in great detail what the Lord has done for all of us. Look at these verse above once more…it says right at the beginning “forget not all his benefits.” The psalmist stresses the need to never forget the things that God has done for us, and then he goes on to list them for us, just in case we’ve indeed forgotten.

What Are the Benefits of God?

1. He forgives ALL your sins!

Not just some of your sins, but all of your sins! Think of it, what God offers to each and everyone one of us is complete and total absolution for our sins. The slate is literally wiped clean! When the slate is wiped clean, we are provided freedom from sin and death. This first benefit is epic in that we can be brought back into a right relationship with the Father. No longer do we have to be bound by the shackles of sin, but instead the binds of bondage are taken from us…we are free indeed!

2. He Heals all your diseases:

Don’t misunderstand here, perhaps we may yet have to endure actual physical health issues or struggles, but ultimate we will one day be complete healed and given new heavenly bodies. But God does in fact still heal His people here on earth. Miracles do still take place and He can provide this blessing of healing to those He deems in need of it…but the problem arises for us when we consider the question, ‘what if He doesn’t choose to heal me?’ When we submit our lives to God we take on a vital component of the Lord’s prayer in action in our lives when we pray, ‘Thy will be done.’

3. (He)… redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion

Because God forgive ALL of our sin we have been saved from eternal punishment and instead have been given the right to be called sons and daughters of God! We have been grafted into the family of God because of Jesus Christ! He stands before us with nail scared hands and wraps His arms around us and showers us with His love! Isn’t that awesome to think about? His love and compassion escorts us into the family and we are able to sit before the Father of all creation because of Jesus and what He’s done for us!

4. (He) “satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”

Does God provide for you? Is He not the Jehovah Jireh in your life? God have given us all that we need, not all that we want. He provides us with the things that are vital to our lives, but be careful that you don’t mistake wants for needs. God will always give to his children that which we ask for in His name, not ours. Make sure the things we ask for aren’t for any selfish intent or prideful purpose, but rather humbly ask for things which God will grant to benefit his children living His kingdom out here on earth right now! He does satisfy our needs and He will sustain us and renew us within all our energies and motivations.

5. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Be assured that those who are oppressed, those who are serving Him through difficult circumstances and facing trials and persecution will one day find justice from those who have wronged them. This isn’t a vindictive statement but a holy truth. God is Lord of all including those who are unrighteous and those who oppress His people. Everyone will one day have to stand before God and take account for their actions here on earth. I know that God will bring His pure and true justice upon us all. I also know that God still works through the oppressed and impacts this world for His glory regardless if man and their kingdoms oppose His message. His will always prevails despite the attempts of the enemy to discourage and dismantle His cause. Know that despite their trials, and even ours that we serve a God who doesn’t fail even if we do. If we are faithful to Him and do what He asks of us, He will provide the victory even if we do not get to see it fulfilled in our life time.

Have you forgotten? Do you lack understanding of what it is exactly that God has done for us? Read this passage again and be encouraged! Understand the God is on your side and wants you to know that He prevails in and through all things! Don’t forget these awesome facts and bring them to mind whenever you feel discouraged or downhearted. May the Lord remind you in your times of trouble that you matter to Him and also what He provides to you still today!

June 3, 2013 1

Salt: Flavor & Preserver

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13

Did you know that salt is not only a flavoring element within food, but is also a preserver of food? Salt has been one of those ancient ways in which people have used to prevent food from rotting. So when Jesus told those gathered there that they were salt of the earth, he chose a topic with which the people would understand. Still today food is of epic importance to our survival as people. We can last for a long time without it, but food nourishes us, sustains us and provides us with the appropriate vitamins and nutrients. Without those vital components in life, we will eventually perish.

Jesus brought his message home to those who would listen that this world is perishing. All things have an expiration date…yet what will preserve us? What will make us last a little longer? What will inject much needed flavor into our world? The answer is simply those who will follow after God’s own heart!

This world will eventually pass away, and sometimes we may think it may be in our life time when we see unspeakable horrors and violence, humans turning on other humans, death and destruction…our world is a violent place. Yet, the preserving element of life is God who is the author and sustainer of all things. When we align our hearts, body and soul to Him, we find that the outpouring of this faith is love, peace, hope and joy…something this world desperately needs more of!

When we display love without strings attached, a joy without ulterior motives other than for others to find this same joy as well, we will inject our worlds with just a little bit of God’s epic flavor.

So how about it? Are you prepared to be God’s preservationist? Are you prepared to offer a dying world hope in the eternal one? Being salt to a flavorless and empty world is what we ought to strive for!

Another interesting notion in this passage of scripture for us to grasp is that typically all of the salt that was utilized in Israel at the time of Jesus was brought up from the Dead sea, which as you may know is extremely salty. But there is also something else about the salt content of the Dead sea that you may not know. The salt deposits within this body of water is full of impurities and often, after time, will lose its flavor.

Jesus instructed, perhaps even pleaded with this audience that we should never lose our flavor. If we are to provide a flavorless world with the undaunted grace and richness of God then we must be mindful to always draw from His source of power and might. Because if we stop drawing from Him and instead begin to rely on our own merits and flavor, we will lose the very essence of His character and love to a world so desperate to find hope.

Be flavor and a preserver to this world through the power of the One who sent us out into it! Never let this hope diminish or lose its flavor!

May 28, 2013 2

How often I lose my way…(Poem)

When I have exhausted all of my words

when each phrase I utter sounds the same

waning on like some sort of warning siren…

when the motions go out without a shout

of purpose, and all I do with these hands

is caress sweet longings for tomorrow,

when constant sighs replace the frequent ‘amens’

then I will know I am lost again.

When strength of spirit evaporates

faster than moisture in the desert,

when the hallelujah’s pack their bags

and leave on the eve of morning

then I will know that I’m lost again.

When my prayers fall short of the ceiling

when each word on the pages of scripture

fail to capture glimpses between the blurs

and the worry…then I will know that I am

lost again.

Seek me and find me Lord…

for how often I lose my way

how often do I take back my burdens

again and again

when only then do I realize

I’ve picked them up from the place

I surrendered them to you…

How often do I pick up the hammer

and nail every time that I fail

casting my eyes on the storms

rather than the storm tamer?

How often do I try and try

in failing strength to do it my way

then each day facing my own

dejected spirit, broken and hollowed out…

Seek me and find me Lord…

for how often I lose my way

how often I need deliverance anew

refinement and renewal

restoration and recompense…

it all makes sense now dear Lord

every word that you say to me

encouraging me, delivering me

Seek me and find me Dear Lord…

for how often I lose my way.

May 20, 2013 0

At the door…Salvation comes. (Poem)

Dear Lord,

you know these feeble hands

and waning strength

ebbing away as the ticking hand progresses

You know my thoughts

and how they stray wondering

further then a troubled runaway…

I can’t pretend in your presence

I can’t put up a front before you

You see right through me like

a window pane freshly washed

this house is open, doors unlocked

I cannot hide from you

not deny any skeletons yet residing.

yet you come to me

you still come to my level

and embrace me like everything

is alright…I know it’s not

and yet you remind me again

that your sacrifice has made me clean

you have made it right

made it right for me…

how can I accept this?

when I know i’m a mess?

How can I agree to this

when I can’t forgive who I am

the battle isn’t about what you are

and what you’ve done

but what I am and where I’ve been…

how can I let you in?

How can I let you see me like this?

Yet your grace, your face

your love your hope

surrounds me completely.

It’s too good for me and yet

you let me see that you grant

this gift to me freely!

Such amazing love,

such unmerited grace

falls upon me in this place

and I am whole again

I am so much more than I used to be

you have mended me

you have set me free…

and so I no longer let you stand

at the door on my front porch

but I let you in and let this

salvation thing in me begin.

May 13, 2013 1

YOLO?

It’s been around for a while, but I think the significance of this four letter acronym should be explored. “You only live once” is what it tells us. What does it mean? People have used it as a hashtag signifying & justifying poor judgement and bad decisions with this excuse “you only live once”. There is even a ‘YOLO’ clothing line that has been started. We’ve gone from ‘Just Do It’ and ‘No Fear’ to ‘YOLO’. Hmm…it seems to me that what culture is telling us is that it’s okay to do what you want, when you want, where you want because you only live once.

I recognize that everyone makes mistakes in this life but if we don’t learn from them and acknowledge that we’ve made them we run the risk of never growing and maturing. As a Christian I don’t believe that I am going to live just once and then nothing, I believe that there is an eternity and that this life we live leads us to the next, and what we do here and now counts…it matters! So if I adopted ‘YOLO’ as my philosophy , what I’m saying essentially is that the only thing that matters in life is the ‘here and now’. The problem with that is that it doesn’t account for the consequences. For example if someone sleeps around aren’t they more likely to contract an STD than someone who waits until marriage? If someone starts smoking and burns through at least a pack a day aren’t they opening themselves up to a slew of medical problems down the road the worst being cancer and death? I could add so many more examples of choice = consequence here but these are just two examples.

YOLO isn’t really a new phrase, it’s just wrapped in new packaging. Some have taken scripture out of context as well when they quote passages like “Let us eat and drink,” you say, “for tomorrow we die!” Isaiah 22:13 (NIV) The meaning behind it has been eliminated and taken to mean ‘well what the heck, we can do what we want because we know we’re all going to die someday’.

I’m not too keen on living that way because I recognize that one day each person is going to have to account for the life that we’ve lived before the Father in heaven. That doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy life, on the contrary God has given us this life for enjoyment and pleasure but we ought to recognize that He also wants us to include Him in our lives. When we forget consequences and forget about the future, we lose focus on what is at stake.

One of my favorite bible verses is a good guide for each of us in how we ought to live.
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (NIV) If we are walking humbly with our God we will enjoy this life so much more than the emptiness of comes knocking on our doors after we have lived it up and gone down roads that we now regret.

On the plus side, perhaps there is merit to ‘YOLO’…perhaps you can take this phrase to mean ‘hey you only live once in flesh and bone so make it count, do what you can to live a godly life and glorify the Lord in your living’! I think if I were to embrace YOLO that is what I would take it to mean. Will I make it count? Can I live a God pleasing life? Can I help lead others to Him along the way? ‘YOLO’!

-Just a thought for today!

Here’s some humor for your Monday:

May 13, 2013 0

A Supernatural Hero – Resurrection Power!

Ironman 3 news article

The superhero zooms in, a little beaten and bruised…but something keeps him going. With determination in his eyes he faces off with the sinister villain who is intent on destroying anyone in his path. The hero, moments before, had been beaten and considered vanquished. Now he stands before the shell shocked villain ready take him down once and for all.

I have to admit, I’m a sucker for superhero movies! If one were to look at my movie collection one would find a slew of hero films, in fact it’s probably the biggest collection of all of my movies. I love a good versus evil story plot! It evokes in me justice and peace with just a little action and mayhem thrown in. This past week Ironman 3 debuted at theaters all around the country & world. It blew the competition away in that it was the top grossing film of the weekend (probably a few more weekends to go too). What that says to me is that I’m not alone in my love of superhero movies. There are millions out there who line up, pay for film tickets and see these films with me. Why? Why are superhero movies such a popular draw?

Here’s my take – because everyone at heart is looking for a hero! Everyone wants not just to escape into fantasy, but they want some sort of rescue in their own lives. We want to see evil vanquished! We want to see good stand triumphantly over the fallen maniacal villain! At heart, we long for heroes in our lives today!

The man stands in front of the grave of his good friend who is four days dead. The dead man’s sisters are not happy with the visiting teacher. Why hadn’t he come sooner? He is a healer, he could have done something to save him…but now it’s too late, he’s gone! But Jesus stands there and tells them to open the tomb. They must have thought to themselves; ‘Are you kidding me? Jesus he’s been dead for four days, it’s going to smell horrible in there!’ But Jesus insists and after the tomb is open, reeking of death, Jesus does something astonishing. He calls out loudly to his now dearly departed good friend. “Lazarus come out!” The people gathered there with the sisters must have exchanged confused even worried looks at each other. “Why is Jesus doing this?” Some must have wondered, “Haven’t Lazarus’ sisters suffered enough?” And yet something remarkable and awesomely supernatural takes place…there are shuffling sounds coming from the tomb.

What seem like hours pass by from Jesus’ words to what happens next…but it’s mere moments. Everyone is clinging to this last ounce of hope as death has been the unwanted house guest for more than four days. Another moment passes and then there is a sharp intake of breath and then a gasp as the dead darkens the door way of his own grave. Jesus has done the unthinkable, He has risen Lazarus from the death. A body in full rigor, decomposing in the tomb has been reanimated. Where stillness had been claimed within vacant lungs, now breathing and motion has gained access once again. Lifeless is replaced with life. Lazarus is no longer dead…he is alive!

Imagine being one of those witnesses that day? They experienced something they couldn’t quite explain; they see the unthinkable take place. A very dead person is brought back to life! Jesus, God’s one and only son, displaying His very real power over life and death! Is there any other person who has walked this earth and lived human life done more? Jesus who is the Lord of life and death? One who actually has supernatural power? A true hero for all of humanity? It is wondrous to think that not only did Jesus heal the sick and give life to the dead, but He also went to the extreme and laid down His life for all of humanity. When He hung on the cross for the sins of all of us, He went to hell and conquered sin and death! But the story didn’t end with a heroes sacrifice and finality of a mournful death…NO! He brought himself back to life! Jesus even said that He would do this for us: “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life (for my sheep) –only to take it up again.” (John 10:17 NIV)

Is Jesus your superhero? Not in some corny or silly way, but in the very real sense that He has displayed His love for you, He has conquered sin and death for us and that He is the only way by which we can find our eternal home in heaven with God. Jesus wants you to experience this supernatural salvation and deliverance. He comes to each of us and asks if we will accept Him as our savior. I have chosen to follow Him, will you?

John 11:25-26 (NIV)
²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

May 6, 2013 0

Whose ‘Will’ is it?

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

It’s from the ‘Lord’s prayer’. You’ve probably recited it any number of times, but have you really thought about what you’re actually saying?

When we say to God, “Father you are holy” we acknowledge two things, the first is that He is our heavenly Father and that secondly He is holy. Kinda obvious isn’t? But when we get to the next line of the ‘Lord’s prayer’, what we begin to realize is that our prayer to God isn’t about what we can get from Him, but rather what we can give Him.

A few verses back Jesus even tells His disciples not to pray like the hypocrites who love to hear their own voices and want others to hear them as well. Our prayers can be corporate but they should also be private conversations with God throughout our day.

Back to His Kingdom:

What we mean when we say “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is this: God you are God of my life and I want to be a part of Your kingdom. We are also saying that God’s Will is more important than that of our human will. Essentially what we are saying is ‘God I trust you and I surrender to you!’…but do we really? I don’t know about you but letting go of the control that I have on my life isn’t something that I’m good at. It’s a powerless feeling to let go, and yet when we pray this prayer or something similar to it, we are implying exactly that. If we don’t mean what we say then why are we saying it in the first place?

I liken it to parenting. I’m a father of four children. They mean the world to me and I am proud of each of them for who they are. As their father I want what is best for them. I want to see them succeed in every area of life. In school, I want to see them get good grades and flourish. In social settings, I want my kids to have healthy friendships and strong bonds and connections with others. As future adults I want them to be wise with their resources and smart with their money. I want to see my children succeed and so I guide them and provide them the wisdom that I have learned since I’ve been on this earth longer than they have. In the same way isn’t that what our Father in Heaven wants from us? He wants us to love Him first, but next there is that deep longing for us to succeed in this life! He wants to guide us, He wants to provide for us and show us how to live better lives. The key is that we have to listen. We have to subjugate ourselves, or submit ourselves to His kingdom and His will. When we view this submission not as negative thing or that we are losing our freedom, but rather we are gaining our freedom then it becomes clearer as to how important it is to submit to the will of God.

We don’t pray this line to mean, God wipe out all of my enemies and crush them with your kingdom. We aren’t turning prayer into another selfish edict of our wills…but rather we are first saying, “Lord it has to begin with me…right here, right now…teach me, I am submitting to your will not mine anymore.” When we can say this and actually mean it there is freedom. When we find ourselves willfully submitting to His will great things can and will take place. The world might become fiercer because of it, you might face stronger opposition in your life but you now are fully engaged in the workings of God and not your workings any longer. Our Father in Heaven wants us to trust Him, and He wants us to allow His wisdom and will to guide our lives. He wants us to succeed because He cares and loves us.

This isn’t some magic phrase that we say to make things work better in our lives. This isn’t some mantra that we utter habitually and thereby willing our essence to perform amazing tasks either. No, what we mean when we say these lines to our Father is “Here I am at your feet ready to submit all that I am to your kingdom and your will.”

What does that mean to you today?

Have you submitted yourself, your will, your desires, you hopes and dream to Him?

It won’t be easy, but if you let Him reside in you and allow His kingdom and will to replace yours, you will be amazed that you didn’t allow Him to do so earlier. Make it your private prayer today to say “Lord, your kingdom come (in my life) your will be done (in my life) on earth as it is in heaven.

-Blessings on your day today!

Prayer:

Lord I confess to you many times I have not allowed you access to my entire life. I have held back and tried to force my will not your will to be done. Forgive me and show me today how I should submit myself to you. I know that you want what is best in my life. I know that you want me to succeed. Help me to follow you, help me to trust you with everything in my life. I want to turn it over to you today. This I pray in Your name, may your will be done and your kingdom come in and through my life. –Amen.

May 2, 2013 0

The Sentinel (Poem)

His mother,

Like a sentinel

Watches over him

Catching each breath

With her eyes

Never growing weary

of seeing him sleep…

each inflation of the lungs

and exhaling only to repeat again-

a gift, a treasured hope!

With wings unfurled,

alabaster gleaming

In the soft moonlit room,

So that while the darkness

creeps and leans in

with its shadows

she knows how to pull

him in and hold him close

again.

There will be no rest

this night as the sentinel

watches, waits, anticipates

never closing her eyes

for but a second,

lending all of her strength

to the dreaming toddler

at her side.

Such love.

An example, a reflected

beauty from the heavens…

As if God himself were there

Holding fast to the night,

holding shadows and its

Darkness away…

A sentinel, a rock

a safe harbor for those

seeking refuge in the darkness.

May 1, 2013 0

Be Thou MY Vision – A Daily Prayer for you and for me!

There’s something about that Celtic sound…and when I hear this song it becomes a prayer in my heart. May it be a prayer in your heart today. This song has always blessed me in tough times as well as good times. May it be so in your life today as well!

Be Thou My Vision Hymn

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

April 30, 2013 0

Tag: Peace