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 Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:30 pm
God's Sovereignty
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 1 Chronicles 29:11-12
These verses are from the Book of Chronicles and were written by David as a praise to God when he was teaching before the assembly. The verse is a profound testament to the sovereignty of God and His reign over the entirety of the universe. David first praises God by acknowledging is power and glory. He also acknowledges the fact that God owns everything. The universe is His and God is unmistakably has control over all of it.
Christians are to recognize these truths. They are basic tenets of our faith in God. If we do not believe these truths completely, then will it not be difficult for us to humble ourselves before him and be obedient to His plan for our life? Indeed it will, and this is just further evidence of how important it is for Christians to really understand what giving our life in Christ meant.
As this verse from Proverbs 4 says to us, "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." we should be willing to seek wisdom, and although it might cost everything else that we have, understanding is far more valuable to us. When we have understanding it becomes much easier for us to truly accept and apply the truth of God in our lives.
In verse 12 David completes his praise of God's sovereignty wherein he extols the truth that God owns all things, he rules over all things. God can and does exalt those whom he deems trustworthy to be used for His purposes. In closing, David tells the assembly that even strength is given to us by God. This precept is true even today, as in "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 God still provides strength today as He did back in David's day. We just have to have the wisdom and understanding of God's sovereignty to be empowered by it.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:42 pm
Rules to Live by
“…I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.” Matthew 5:17
So many Christians believe that that the Ten Commandments are not a relevant part of Christianity since the resurrection of Jesus. Some Christians sum up this claim in Colossians 2:14 which says “having cancelled the written code, with it’s regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross.” First of all, this most likely does include the Ten Commandments. Second, a written code can also be described as any law we are to follow according to our government. Our government can’t see our hearts so they make assessments that may not even be accurate, based on what they see. Third of all, sometimes people make laws to fit a particular time or event. Fourthly, sometimes people make ridiculous rules. Maybe they mean well and maybe they think they’re doing the right thing by making the rule but they’re just dumb and unrealistic rules.
The Bible doesn’t contradict itself but these two passages do until we reconcile them.
So maybe we should think of that verse in Colossians a little differently… from Jesus’ point of view and not our own. Colossians 2 is labeled “freedom from human regulations through life with Christ”. This freedom is the Holy Spirit. So the last point I want to get to is why the verse in Colossians says what it does.
When I see something that needs to be done, I like to get it done. I get bogged down by untidiness. Some people, on the other hand, won’t notice anything needs to be done until they look at the to-do list on the fridge. That to-do list is like the Ten Commandments. When Jesus cancelled the written code He was saying that He wanted us to rely on Him, not a piece of paper. It’s the difference between a cheat sheet and actually studying for a test and being confident in knowing the material because it’s ingrained in you. The reason He nailed it all to the cross is because He said that when He ascends He’ll send us the Spirit. We won’t need a cheat sheet to get through life.
All ten of the commandments are a part of who God is and He wants them to be part of us, too. Not 8 or 9 of them, but all of them. Sure, sometimes we’ll have a hard time just knowing what God wants out of us and we’ll have to look at His commands for reference. But when we do that we should ask God to give us His Spirit instead so in the future living for Him will be an automatic knee jerk reaction. Jesus doesn’t want to be your to-do list, He wants to be ingrained in your heart. He wants His commands to be something you just do, not something you don’t notice until you look on the fridge.
Are His commands a part of you? Look them up and see.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:49 pm
Everyone Is A Tool
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous. (1 Peter 3: cool
Today around lunch time I was walking through the cafeteria towards one of the of the other places on campus where you can get food. I think I was heading towards The Hungry Panther--they have awesome breakfast burritos. Anyway, as I was passing through the cafeteria dining area I saw one of my friends and I waved to her while I was listening to my Discman and keeping an eye out for Sumer since I just saw her come in here. I continued on my way as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, until I was halfway toward the door. A sudden jerk on my backpack pulled me back. For a second there I thought I was going to fall and break something. Who could do this to me? Why would someone want to do this to me? What the heck is going on?
When I turned around, I saw her--Jennifer, my ex-girlfriend. She was staring right at me and asked in a hurried, worried voice: "Is everything all right?" For a second there I was bewildered by her asking me this. Did she think that something was wrong? All of a sudden I remembered that I had told her a few days back that normally when I am not feeling all right I will listen to my Discman a lot. And what was I doing? I was listening to my Discman.
Now you are probably wondering what this story has to do with the Bible verse from Peter and how everyone is a tool. Well, when I broke up with Jennifer last semester, she seemed all right. It was not until I did a little more research into the whole thing did I find out that she had not been all right. It took a long time for her to be able to say hi to me without having to hold back tears. I found out that I had hurt her a lot. Check this out though, the Lord is totally using her as a tool in my life. During the past week I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off: massive amounts of homework to do, work seven hour work days at Disneyland, running youth group meeting, maybe three hours of sleep on the couch each night, midterms, etc. For the past few days, including today, following the chaotic week I just had, I have been on the verge of tears all day long. It has been hard for me to hold them back. Jennifer is being used in my life by the fact that she is showing to me that she cares about me and loves me sort of like a brother, though I don't know if I want to say that since I have seen how her and her brother are around each other. The fact is that the Lord is using her to show me that I am cared for. That is so awesome. This also is a terrific example of the fact that everyone that loves the Lord is a tool for Him to use. Someone that I totally hurt is bringing compassion and love into my life. Thank you, Lord.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:06 pm
Soul Mate
And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:23-24) NKJV
I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. (Psalm 16:7- cool NKJV
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29: 11-14) NKJV
When I was fifteen years old, I met Bethany. She was twelve and was told that she would never be let of the house with any boy for any reason until she was sixteen. When she and I met, we really began to hit it off and had a little puppy love relationship and then broke up after six months.
Four years passed and we continued to go to youth group together, I dated other girls, and even thought that I would marry one of them, but God had other plans and it never worked out. I continued on at Bible school, and was still keeping my dream, ambition, and calling of God to become a pastor one day. My sophomore year, I went home for Christmas break and Bethany was now sixteen and able to go out on dates.
While back visiting my home church, I heard word from the pastor’s wife that there was a girl in the church that liked me. I asked, “Who would that be? I have dated all of the girls any way.” Our church was small and very easy for me to do something like that. Needless to say, she would never tell me, and so I decided to ask the pastor. He then told me that is was Bethany.
I then asked if I could go out to dinner with Bethany and her parents that afternoon after church, and then asked her parents if she and I could go out that evening after church and talk and see a movie with Bethany. She and I really were great friends, and then wouldn’t you know it, we really hit it off that evening and I asked her if we could go out the next night. We did just that, and then it came time for me to go back to school, and we talked again and she said that we could continue to date. We “long distance” dated for about a year, and I began to really hate that, and I asked her to marry me and we got married July of 1995, and have a beautiful little girl.
She really is my soul mate. After much thought in trying to answer this question from a Biblical point of view, I did not have to look very far to find my answer. I believe that God has a plan for each and every one of us, and has even chosen the one that we are supposed to be with the rest of our lives. The Bible says that when two people are married, they become “one flesh.” Meaning that they become a unit and their marriage is because of the two of them. Are soul mates perfect? No, and the relationship is not perfect either. One day you will want to get married and be looking for your soul mate, and God will have that person picked out and you will want to seek out His will on the matter. God told Jeremiah that He had plans for him concerning the captivity of Israel, and Jeremiah’s life, and He has the very same plans for you and I especially in the search of our future mates.
Is it right to search for your soul mate? Absolutely! In my opinion, God wants us to seek His will, and seeking His will means that we may have too look for it. We don’t know how the Holy Spirit will tell is, but when the time comes we can search God’s word, look at the doors of circumstance, talk to older Christians for wisdom, and check our motives as to why we think that this person is our soul mate. I know that it took me a time of talking to my parents and different people to see what they thought. I am so thankful that they thought that we ought to get married because she really is my soul mate.
In conclusion, it does not matter if you are a teen-ager of 13 or a young adult in your 20’s. I would encourage you to seek God’s will in the finding of your future mate. Pray for your future mate, and begin to pray that you will have a relationship with that person that will make you the best soul mates ever. I know that I did, and I know that my soul mate is God sent, and I will thank God and cherish her until the day that I die. May God’s Grace Abound In You.
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:54 pm
Getting Back Up
"All like sheep, have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6) NIV.
We all have dreams of being the best at one thing or another. I personally wish I could shoot more like Michael Jordan, or be able to write a master piece like Max Lucado, and my biggest dream is to become as great a Christian like Billy Graham. I started thinking of what it would be like to walk in his shoes. I bet he never has a hard time with life. But then reality set in and I realized that just because you are really good at something doesn't mean your perfect.
For the past ten years, I have absolutely loved roller skating. I sometimes wonder if I will ever out grow the past time. I even work at the rink that I spent most of my life growing up in. So needless to say, I'm a really good skater. One of the tricks that I love to do is a 360 in mid air.
The other day I laced up my skates before the session started and went out on the floor to mess around for a few minutes. As I was skating around I went to do a 360. I didn't even think about it because it has become so routine, but something didn't go right this time. I landed on the side of my skate and I had a nice run in with the wooden floor. I laid on the ground for a few minutes, slightly embarrassed but mostly in pain. I slowly got up and skated over to the snack bar to grab a drink. After I regained my self, I jumped back on the floor, a little banged up, but back to doing my same old tricks again like they were nothing.
Friends, believe it or not, even Michael Jordan has a bad game, and I'm sure Max Lucado will get writers block. Even Mr. Graham will go through trials but no matter how great you are or how good of a person you try to be, we're not perfect. Jesus realized this and that is why He bore our sins on the old rugged cross. So when we mess up we can't stay down on the floor. Shake it off and take a second to figure out what went wrong. Then after that I got back on the floor and proved to Satan that he was going to have to do a lot better than that to keep this boy down. May peace be with you.
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:17 am
Restore The Compassion
Rev. 2:4 “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your
first love.”
Do you remember the day that you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior?
I will never forget that warm in Sunday morning in June of 1981, that the
Jr. Church teacher asked if anyone would like to give their hearts to Jesus
as their personal Savior. She pulled the old steel chair around, and said,
“If any of you would like to give your heart to Jesus, would you come
forward so that I can pray with you?” Once that first step was taken, the
rest were easy to follow after. I prayed, repented, and asked Jesus into
my heart that morning, and you talk about the excitement! I felt like I
had just finished taking 10,000 showers and the burden was lifted! Remember
the feeling? Remember your excitement?
That same excitement and love is what John is talking about when Jesus
said, “You have lost your first love.” Their passion and fervor for the
Lord Jesus had become cold and desolate. They forgot about their love for
Him and what He did for them at the moment of salvation. Friends, what
about us? Have we lost our love for Christ? How can we tell?
When lost souls are no longer a passion in your life, and those who are
lost and burdened with a load to carry are not seeing their hearts filled
with the love of Christ. When your daily Bible reading and time with the
Lord has gone astray. When you think only about yourself and do not have
eternity’s values in view, then you have lost your first love. When the
day to day things just become day to day, and life just happens with no
thought of Jesus and what He did for you goes through your mind, then you
have lost your first love.
In conclusion, I implore you to take a look at your heart. Have you lost
your first love? Have you kept that broken heart of yours broken and have
forgotten about Jesus and what He can do for you? Remember your first
love! Restore that excitement!
Renew the passion! May God’s Grace Abound In You
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:42 pm
What Are You Looking For
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21
Candid Camera is beginning to show old episodes on PAX TV now. I think
that if you want to see a show that makes me laugh really hard it is that
and the Jamie Kennedy Experiment which are both shows that play practical
jokes on people out of the middle of no where. Sometimes they are setup.
Jamie Kennedy is a little more off the wall because he dresses up
himself.
In an old Candid Camera episode, an actor is on a busy sidewalk and
begins to look at the ground. He walks around a bit and continues to look
down. People are passing by him and a few give him strange looks. After a
couple minutes, he decides to get down on his hands and knees and begins
feeling around with his hands. People begin to slow down and watch what
he’s doing. Finally, one person stops and starts looking at the ground.
Then another one begins searching the sidewalk.
In a few minutes, the camera shows about a dozen people looking down,
some even on their hands and knees! At that point, the actor, who got all
this started in the first place, quietly gets up and walks away. No one
else notices that he has left. They're so intent in their search that
they never even bothered to ask what it was they were looking for. This
is a good picture of how many people live and think in our society today.
They're searching for something because they know there’s got to be more
to life.
You know some of us may be reading this devotional today, and say, “What
are you talking about? My life is the same old stuff, but a different
day! I've maintained. I've continued in my walk with Christ. What more
could you ask?”
Live for Christ! So many of us have thought that since I'VE have asked
Jesus as my personal Savior, that is it. No, it is a daily striving and
working for the Lord to see others come to know Him as their personal
Savior. It is dying to the sin that so entangle us.
Friends, Paul had it right when He said, “For me to live is Christ, and
to die is gain” His life revolved around Christ. When someone would
mention the name “Christ“, Paul would light up! When you talked about
working, striving, and letting Christ be the potter of your life, that
was right down Paul’s ally. We have to do the same! We have to have
passion for Christ and that living for Him. There truly is more to this
life, and we can find exactly what we are looking for to fill the void.
Christ! May God’s Grace Abound In You.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:35 am
A Father's Love
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
Father's Day always reminds me of how important a father's love is to us. My own father went to be with the Lord sixteen years ago, however, I still have many fond memories of the various ways he showed his love for me. For many Christians, their view of God is filtered through the way in which they were treated by their earthly father. In talking with friends and others at my home church, this fact was affirmed by many of them.
One woman in particular shared with me that her father would be very nice to her in many different ways, and then unexpectedly, might 'thump' her for something she did which he might not have approved of. This would often come out of nowhere, and for no apparent reason. She said to me that although that was more than forty years ago, she still today anticipates that God will 'whack' her for any little mistake she makes.
Later in the day, I thought about how sad her story was. Especially since today was Fathers Day, but more importantly, because God's character is so very different from that type of behavior. As the verse above relates, our Heavenly Father lavishes His love upon us. Webster's online dictionary gave me this definition for lavished: "To give or bestow in abundance; shower, [Middle English laves, probably from Old French lavasse, downpour,]" To me, this definition is quite different from being whacked around by an angry God.
If you have a negative view of your Heavenly Father because of the way your earthly father may have treated you, simply look to that verse and be reminded that our Heavenly Father's love is constant, meaningful and given in abundance. I urge you to claim that love and allow it to modify your view and feelings towards God, despite what may have occurred in your relationship with your earthly father in the past. Our God is a God of love, for He cares for us.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:51 pm
What Is Your Temperature
Rev. 3:14-21
15. "I know the things that you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.
I wish you were one or the other!"
I remember the day that I got married like it was yesterday. It was hotter
than all get out on that July day. I remember the moment that my wife
gave me her ring for my finger. I was dazzled by what was in it, and
especially the fact that it was gold. I never wore much gold growing up,
and now, for the rest of my life, I was honored to wear something that would never tarnish or would ever fade. As I got older, I began to wonder how gold was made, got to be so shiny and what a jeweler had to accomplish in order to get the finished product. After a little research, a jeweler will melt gold from its beginning state so many times until he finally gets to the point where he will see his reflection, and it shines like the sun.
Friends, the city of Laodicea was the most wealthy of the seven of the seven churches in the book of Revelation. More that likely, they had all that they ever wanted in the area of riches. It was known for its industries, manufacturing, as well as
its medical studies. The city always had a problem with its water supply
though, so bad that they had to have water piped in from hot springs in
other lands. By the time the water reached the city it was lukewarm, so
lukewarm that it made it disgusting to drink.
People in the church at Laodicea had become just that in their faith. They
were neither hot and on fire for Christ, nor were they as cold as ice. They had everything, yet they were lukewarm which led to idleness causing the church to become hardened
and self satisfied. This would ultimately cause them to be destroyed from
the inside out, and God would "spit" them out of His mouth.
Friends, how many of us are lukewarm? Think about it for a second. Some
of you are totally riding the fence when it comes to your faith and
relationship with Jesus. Some of you are right out cold, and without any
spiritual life in your hearts. What is the solution?
First, Jesus said to repent. Turn from our ways, and go back. Begin a
passion for Him. Second, he said to "buy gold from him." Remember what I
said earlier about gold? We need to become gold in Jesus's eyes so that
we can reflect Him in our lives and hearts. Thirdly, the text says, "I
stand at the door and knock." Jesus is standing at the door of all of
our lives, and it is our choice whether or not we let Him in. He wants us
to invite Him to take control of our lives. Friends we need to do just
that.
Finally, what about your life? Is God refining you like gold? Can He see
His reflection in your heart? My prayer is that you will do a reality
check, repent, and begin to see His reflection in your lives. He is
standing at the door and knocking, won't you let Him in to live forever?
May God Be With You
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:22 pm
They Need To Know
John 5:29 (The Message)
Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment.
There is a movement in America that has gotten a firm hold on us. This movement has blurred the lines between what is right and what is wrong. This movement says that good is evil and evil is good. This movement is called political correctness. It takes the evil desires of people and labels them under new and nice-sounding titles. It takes child pornography and calls it "art". It says pre-marital sex is ok as long as it's "safe". It says people can cuss and be lewd and bash Christianity, because that's "freedom of speech."
We live in a time when people refuse to take responsibility for their own actions. We love to blame it on someone else. "Well, I do this because my parents" .. or what is worse they say, "there is nothing wrong with this". People have hardened their hearts in the name of "freedom", true freedom doesn't come from following sin. Sin traps us and makes us victims of it.
As Christians, it's more important than ever for us to know what is right and know what is wrong. We like to accept Jesus as our saviour, but we don't like the whole "Lord" part of our salvation. We need to dig into God's word and find out how He wants us to live, so we can be examples to others. This world is hurting more than ever. Political correctness has given people a good sounding reason to be what sinful desires want them to be, but political correctness doesn't offer the freedom that it promised. It has only trapped us more.
It's wrong to be gay, it's wrong to cheat on your spouse, it's wrong to divorce, it's wrong to cuss, it's wrong to worship other gods, such as Allah and Buddha. It's wrong to blend in with the world's way of doing things. Subconsciously, people know this and that's why they are trapped because they don't know the truth. The truth is that it's wrong, but the bigger truth is that God loves the people who are doing this and wants them to come to Him. He molded each one of us together in His own hands, making us in His image. God loves the doctors who perform abortions, He loves the people who get abortions. He loves everyone, no matter what sins they are committing. God offers these people freedom, but they have to know the truth. They have to know. We have to tell them. We have the right to proclaim the truth of the gospel, after all, we do have "Freedom of speech", Satan is using it, we should too.
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:57 pm
Eating The Bread
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
It was ordained by God, from the beginning, that if man wanted to survive, and function on a day to day basis, he must eat something. In Genesis 2:16, God declares, “Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat.” Adam had to keep up his strength by eating, so that he could continue naming all the animals of the world.
We’re composed of three parts: body, soul, and spirit. That which we spoke concerning our physical body applies to our spiritual body. If we want to keep our spiritual bodies totally in shape for the work of the Lord, we must be eating of the bread of life!
Jesus makes it clear in our text that we cannot survive off of physical bread, and with good reason He says this. May I remind you that the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that our battle is that of the spirit realm, and not that of the flesh? Lets go deeper with this thought. In this same passage of scripture, Paul says that we need to put on the whole armour of God so that we can stand against the wiles of the enemy.” I’m going to go ahead and kick it up a few more notches. The apostle goes on and tells us that the sword of the spirit is the word of God. if you look “word” up in the Greek, you’ll see that it is translated “Rhema”, which is “a spoken word or utterance."
Believer, do you want to have victory over the enemy? Do you want to withstand the wiles of the enemy? Follow the example that Jesus set in Matthew 4. Three times the tempter came to tempt the Lord, and every time He spoke the word, and after the third time the devil left him alone. Believer, know the word! When the enemy comes to tempt you and you speak the word against him he is going to flee from you! Just as bread brings strength to the physical body, so does the spoken word of God to the spirit man. In Jesus name Amen!
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 2:51 pm
Parents and Discipline
"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline." Rev. 3:19
"Be home by 10:00 and no later!"
"Oh, mom, do I have to? All the other kids get to stay out later."
My mom is so strict! I mean she tells me who I can be friends with, how long I can stay out and even exactly what I can and can't do! I mean really! She must think I'm six years old! I just turned sixteen and can drive, but with all her rules, it's amazing she'll even let me out of the driveway.
Have you ever thought this way? Ever wondered why your parents are so strict when it seems the other kids get to do whatever they want to? Why is it you have to be in at 10:00, but your friends get to stay out until 12:00? Why do you have to help around the house, but your friends don't have to do a thing? Why is it you have to get all your homework done before going anywhere, but your friends don't even have to open their books?
It's called love. Your parents love you enough to show you the right way of doing things. God gives parents many examples of this. When the Israelites disobeyed God, they had to wander in the desert for forty years. Just as there were consequences for the Israelites, there are consequences when parents are not obeyed. Sneaking out and going to that party may mean alcohol is served and the police called for underage drinking. Even worse, someone could drive home under the influence of alcohol and have an accident. Parents were teenagers once and know all the things that can happen if rules are broken. They want to protect their children from the consequences. So, if you have a parent who is strict, thank God for them. If your parents are Christians and strict, praise God! They love you and want the best for you.
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:47 pm
Life As A Yo-Yo
Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. (Acts 10:43) Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:5) NKJV.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a yo-yo? Probably not, but as I was playing with one, the thought struck me. As I tossed this idea around in my head, the idea didn't seem so far-fetched after all. What all happens with one? What types of tricks can you do? What does this have to do with my walk with God?
After wiping most of the dust off of it, I started to throw it around some. Up, then down, then an "around the world," which about knocked me out. The more I played with it, the more I felt in control, and the more I felt the similarity between myself and the red object I kept knocking things over with.
The string is wrapped around the Lord's finger. He tightly grasps us in His hand and we feel safe. Then every once in a while He'll let us go on our own. We find out through this how the world outside His grasp is. What things are like away from the hands of our Savior. Then we go through the trials when we get to the bottom. Staying with the Lord is the hardest at this point in time. Your at the bottom of the string and you feel the farthest away from Him. What do you do?
At this point in your life, it seems like you can't get a grasp on what to believe in. You may have been down for so long you don't believe He's ever going to bring you back up, maybe it's because you don't have faith or maybe you lost your personal relationship with Him. The point is, you dangling from a string. We go through ups and downs through life so we can understand the love the Lord has for us. It is because of this we learn to love Him and can have an idea of just how much He in return loves us. If this didn't happen we would want to do everything for ourselves. If you have stopped spinning and at the bottom, don't hesitate to pray and ask for forgiveness and start straightening your life back up.
We all slide down but no matter what we have done, if we go to the Lord, He will always reach down and wind us back to His hand. May peace be with you.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 5:10 pm
Poem: He
He
He was an outcast to society
Misunderstood for his beliefs
Speaking in parables to the synagogues
Which offended the priests and chiefs.
He healed the blind with mud from the earth
And inspired hope to those he met
Breaking his body as bread
To sacrifice for the ultimate debt.
He climbed the rock at Calvary
Bruised and spat upon along the way
Yet he kept his mission deep in his mind
For the remainder of that dark day
He was laid upon the cross
Sharp nails driven in his hands and feet
A crown of thorns lacerated his scalp
Yet he would still not admit defeat.
He cried out his last breath
Red blood pouring down his face
Crowds mocked his dying actions
As they left that desolate place.
He was buried in a tomb
But on the third day he rose
Soon ascending into Heaven
To reign King as the one God chose.
He had proclaimed eternal life
With the cool blue spring of the Spirit
If people would only accept him
And not turn away when they hear it.
He still lives in today’s world
As he hugs his arms around me
Fanning the hot embers inside my soul
So I may spread the fire to all I see.
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 2:59 pm
Scary Nights
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8
Have you ever seen a scary movie or heard a tale that gave you the freaks. I’ve never liked those nights where I’d lay in bed replaying those horrifying thoughts over and over in my mind. When I was younger, I used to stay up for hours feeling threatened that something bad was going to happen during the dark hours; and I would anticipate the sunrise as if nothing bad could ever happen if the world was light enough to see it.
As I got older these types of nights didn’t seem as relevant to me until I started spending nights alone. I still have trouble sleeping in my home when I’m alone because it seems to me that the slightest creek would signify a robber, or even worse, a murderer coming to get me for no apparent reason. Once my imagination gets started it will take a hold of me and my thoughts get carried away with fears. After finding this verse, on one of those fearful nights, I quickly began to memorize it so to comfort my soul and get a hold of my thoughts. Now, I’m not sure if I’m just slightly neurotic and you can’t relate to those late frightening nights; but I think we can all think of a time when we are filled with fears and anxiety.
The devil likes to get into our minds and fiddle around so that we feel insecure and become full or worry and panic. But this verse is a reminder that we can go to sleep at night calm. We don’t have to lie there and feed into the devil’s work because the Lord offers us peace of mind and will keep us safe from whatever it is the devil is offering to us.
I find it’s comforting to know that we aren’t always alone when fearing danger. Just as King David said, the Lord will sustain us. He’ll watch over us as we sleep and protect us so that we may rise again in the morning. Just one more thing to be thankful for.
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