Our ideas, hopes, goals and dreams are something we are given by God. As we grow in Him we will develop over time His same desires. Our dreams become a realization because of our partnership - God plus us!
"Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4
Our future is secure when we are "hooked up" with Him! We have this heritage.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Purpose in the Race
Purpose is that we are all to be saved. God wants none to perish.
Purpose is that we are all called to be a witness for Jesus. We don't all do it.
Life is about Jesus. We are nothing without Jesus. It's all about Him.
He must increase, but we? We must decrease.
We are planted of the Lord that He may be glorified.
To God be all the glory.
John 3:16-17, Luke 8:38-39, John 5:14-15, John 15:5, John 3:30, Isaiah 61:3b
Purpose is that we are all called to be a witness for Jesus. We don't all do it.
Life is about Jesus. We are nothing without Jesus. It's all about Him.
He must increase, but we? We must decrease.
We are planted of the Lord that He may be glorified.
To God be all the glory.
John 3:16-17, Luke 8:38-39, John 5:14-15, John 15:5, John 3:30, Isaiah 61:3b
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
It's Hard to Run the Race
Running is hard work. Running and running and running is especially hard. I like so much what Paul says in Philippians 1:12. He says, "But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel..." Nothing - not even being in prison - slowed Paul down as he went about spreading the Gospel. Each new adventure brought new opportunities for his witness to others. If you think you've had it tough, read about Paul. In II Corinthians 12:23-29 he gives an account (prompted, yet reluctantly to boast of his experiences as a servant of Jesus Christ) of all that he had been through in his lifetime and that he was still alive and well and serving the Lord! Paul's experiences and examples encourage us to be bolder in our witness for Jesus Christ.
Listen to this from the New King James Version, "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak, I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. (I Corinthians 9:19-23). Paul would go to any length - without violating Biblical morality - to enter the world of others and lead them to salvation.
Read these verses again from the Message. And run, run, run, and run. Don't stop. It's all worthwhile. It's all for Jesus. Hard work? Yes! Now go after it. You must follow your dreams - they are what God has placed in you and called you to do!
Listen to this from the New King James Version, "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak, I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. (I Corinthians 9:19-23). Paul would go to any length - without violating Biblical morality - to enter the world of others and lead them to salvation.
Read these verses again from the Message. And run, run, run, and run. Don't stop. It's all worthwhile. It's all for Jesus. Hard work? Yes! Now go after it. You must follow your dreams - they are what God has placed in you and called you to do!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Run the Race
So now you're in the race. You're off and running. But wait... what am I running for? What race am I in? Does this race have any purpose?
Paul uses many examples of an athlete as he teaches. One of those is found in I Corinthians 9:24-27. It's a race with great reward. The race is the Lord's race. He has placed you in the race with His purpose in mind. Do you know what that is? To run you must know your purpose and be committed to it. Otherwise? You won't run. You will lag. You may even choose to drop out. Running is hard work. And in this race you run and run and run. To keep going you must have purpose and commitment. Don't be disqualified by breaking any rules in this race! Use all that is within you to go forward and take the crown!
God has called you. You know that He has. Pray to know what for - your purpose. Then be committed to run in the race and win!
Matthew 28:19-20
Paul uses many examples of an athlete as he teaches. One of those is found in I Corinthians 9:24-27. It's a race with great reward. The race is the Lord's race. He has placed you in the race with His purpose in mind. Do you know what that is? To run you must know your purpose and be committed to it. Otherwise? You won't run. You will lag. You may even choose to drop out. Running is hard work. And in this race you run and run and run. To keep going you must have purpose and commitment. Don't be disqualified by breaking any rules in this race! Use all that is within you to go forward and take the crown!
God has called you. You know that He has. Pray to know what for - your purpose. Then be committed to run in the race and win!
Matthew 28:19-20
Friday, June 18, 2010
Oh! How I Love Jesus!
It's okay with me to not be me! I'd rather be Jesus than me! I'd rather people see Jesus in me than me! Who am I? Nothing without Him! I can die to self. But why is it "self" keeps appearing? It's a difficult training I put myself through so that I - like Paul - will win my race having done all and been all to reach the finish line, my life complete in Him.
Matthew 16:24-27, Luke 14:26-33, Philippians 1:21, I Corinthians 9:24-27, Philippians 3:12-16, II Timothy 4:7
Matthew 16:24-27, Luke 14:26-33, Philippians 1:21, I Corinthians 9:24-27, Philippians 3:12-16, II Timothy 4:7
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Character and Attributes
An attribute is a quality or characteristic inherent in or ascribed to someone or something. Wouldn't this be the glory of God seen in our lives? Remember character is the combination of qualities or features, traits, abilities, reputation that distinguishes one person - in God and in us, God in us! - And that person is of noble status and/or a well-known person. We even found that it is an attribute determined by a gene - isn't our DNA that of the Lord Himself once we have chosen to be one of His and have given our lives over to Him? We are called a royal priesthood. Isn't this where our moral and ethical strength comes from? Isn't it the joy of the Lord that causes us to be who we are both morally and ethically? It's supposed to be how we solve any situation or circumstance in our lives. It's supposed to be how we live among others and get along in this world. It's supposed to be how we make choices in our lives. It's simply supposed to be how we conduct and live our entire lives!
We are to seek, search pursue and work hard at working out, and training ourselves and committing to place those same attributes of the Lord God and what we see in Him into our very own lives.
I Timothy 4:7-8, II Timothy 3:16, I Peter 2:9, John 17:13, Nehemiah 8:10
We are to seek, search pursue and work hard at working out, and training ourselves and committing to place those same attributes of the Lord God and what we see in Him into our very own lives.
I Timothy 4:7-8, II Timothy 3:16, I Peter 2:9, John 17:13, Nehemiah 8:10
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Character
God's character - this is our standard. So, what is character?
According to The American Heritage College Dictionary it is 1.) The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another 2.) A distinguishing feature or attribute, as of an individual, group, or category. and get this one 3.) Genetics A structure, function, or attribute determined by a gene or group of genes! and 4.) Moral or ethical strength. 5.) A description of a person's attributes, traits, or abilities... it also says reputation, status or role, a notable or well-known person! Now that's my God and so much more so is He! But I give you those definitions for us to see what we are looking for in the Lord to model our lives by.
If you would remember - or rather, let's review - righteousness. Other than that for which we can be thankful to Jesus for, His righteousness, it is also our inner moral conformity of our character to the character of God! And the acts that flow from a righteous moral character! All this because we know how much God loves us and in turn we act in harmony with our obligations to God out of our love for Him! It is our responsibility to live as such for Him! It is also how we act with other people and for the same reason; our love for the Lord.
Shall we then model our lives after the Word of God and be all that God desires of us? I say, "yes!"
Psalm 15:1-5, Psalm 106:3, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 8:15, Romans 12:17-21
According to The American Heritage College Dictionary it is 1.) The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another 2.) A distinguishing feature or attribute, as of an individual, group, or category. and get this one 3.) Genetics A structure, function, or attribute determined by a gene or group of genes! and 4.) Moral or ethical strength. 5.) A description of a person's attributes, traits, or abilities... it also says reputation, status or role, a notable or well-known person! Now that's my God and so much more so is He! But I give you those definitions for us to see what we are looking for in the Lord to model our lives by.
If you would remember - or rather, let's review - righteousness. Other than that for which we can be thankful to Jesus for, His righteousness, it is also our inner moral conformity of our character to the character of God! And the acts that flow from a righteous moral character! All this because we know how much God loves us and in turn we act in harmony with our obligations to God out of our love for Him! It is our responsibility to live as such for Him! It is also how we act with other people and for the same reason; our love for the Lord.
Shall we then model our lives after the Word of God and be all that God desires of us? I say, "yes!"
Psalm 15:1-5, Psalm 106:3, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 8:15, Romans 12:17-21
Friday, June 11, 2010
Righteousness His Way
Righteousness is an absolute quality of God and only God. He acts in harmony with His moral nature. It is God's character and attributes that are the standard by which righteousness is measured. It is how we are to live our lives.
What is righteousness?
Righteousness is (using the Revell Concise Bible Dictionary) the declaration by God that a person is righteous in God's sight, not by virtue of that person's acts but by virtue of his faith in Jesus! He is our righteousness!
However, Old and New Testaments reveal that righteousness is acting in harmony with one's obligations to God and to others - it is the inner moral conformity of one's character to the character of God, and the acts that flow from a righteous moral character. Yes! In my wording I have said that it is doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do and doing it right. Basically, because I am a Christian, that means that you do the God thing because it's the God thing to do and you do it how God would do it!
Jesus is our example - He is the Living Word. When we read His Word, which He gave to us before His leaving this earth along with the Holy Spirit, we read exactly what our life should look like and we read that it should be for real - just as He was, is, and will be when He returns! He wants us to get it right and to choose to do it right - God's way! But what do we do? We choose our own way so much of the time to only find out that it was the wrong way! It's time to live a godly, righteous life and start doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do and do it right - all for the glory of God!
This is God's standard that we are to follow. It's the quality of His righteousness. His character. His attributes. It's all wrapped up in God who loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us that we could have that relationship again in the Garden with Him. Praise the Lord!
Romans 3:21-26, Romans 1:16-20, Psalm 4:1, II Kings 19:15,
What is righteousness?
Righteousness is (using the Revell Concise Bible Dictionary) the declaration by God that a person is righteous in God's sight, not by virtue of that person's acts but by virtue of his faith in Jesus! He is our righteousness!
However, Old and New Testaments reveal that righteousness is acting in harmony with one's obligations to God and to others - it is the inner moral conformity of one's character to the character of God, and the acts that flow from a righteous moral character. Yes! In my wording I have said that it is doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do and doing it right. Basically, because I am a Christian, that means that you do the God thing because it's the God thing to do and you do it how God would do it!
Jesus is our example - He is the Living Word. When we read His Word, which He gave to us before His leaving this earth along with the Holy Spirit, we read exactly what our life should look like and we read that it should be for real - just as He was, is, and will be when He returns! He wants us to get it right and to choose to do it right - God's way! But what do we do? We choose our own way so much of the time to only find out that it was the wrong way! It's time to live a godly, righteous life and start doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do and do it right - all for the glory of God!
This is God's standard that we are to follow. It's the quality of His righteousness. His character. His attributes. It's all wrapped up in God who loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us that we could have that relationship again in the Garden with Him. Praise the Lord!
Romans 3:21-26, Romans 1:16-20, Psalm 4:1, II Kings 19:15,
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Teacher and Discerner
The Holy Spirit teaches us all things. Jesus said so and in John's Gospel we are introduced to the Holy Spirit and why He was sent to us. The Holy Spirit is our source of true spiritual understanding. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to live by the truth. He teaches us how to compare spiritual things with spiritual. As we are spiritual beings He interprets the spiritual to us. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to live the Christian life.
John 14:26, John 16:8-13, I John 2:27, I Corinthians 2:13, I John 4:6
John 14:26, John 16:8-13, I John 2:27, I Corinthians 2:13, I John 4:6
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Comforter, Helper and Guide
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter - He comes alongside us to comfort, give consolation or encouragement and to help. Jesus tells us in John 15:25, "when the Helper comes... He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning." The Holy Spirit helps us witness about Jesus. It is through the power of the Spirit we go about this witness in a world of haters, mockers, and persecutors. The Helper brings to our remembrance all things Jesus has told us in His Word. We don't have to live our life alone - Praise the Lord! - We have been given the Holy Spirit to comfort, encourage, and help us! He is our Guide for life! He guides us into all truth!
Acts 9:31, John 15:26, John 16:13-14
Acts 9:31, John 15:26, John 16:13-14
Monday, June 7, 2010
Ask for Him
"Yet you do not have because you do not ask." - James 4:2
The Holy Spirit is the best gift the Father gives to us. The Spirit Filled Life Bible says that "our primary needs are spiritual, and a proper relationship with God through the Holy Spirit is the ground of assurance that He (Father God) will provide both spiritual and material needs." Look at Luke 11:9-13. You will see that Jesus is speaking and asks questions regarding human parents; how they give to their children. They don't deceive them and neither does God. In fact, we can expect the Father to bless us with His best all the time! With the gift of the Holy Spirit being the best gift God gives to us, we are reminded of the priority God places on our spiritual need over our material need.
Look at verse 13. It says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Jesus first began this teaching on prayer (verses 1-4) and about persistent (verses 5-8). In verse 9 He tells us we must ask. When we ask He says, "it will be given to you." Verse 10 says, "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Praise the Lord! Ask for the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live for Him! Continue to ask, seek, and knock. You'll find you do it His way! His way for our life is righteousness!
The Holy Spirit is the best gift the Father gives to us. The Spirit Filled Life Bible says that "our primary needs are spiritual, and a proper relationship with God through the Holy Spirit is the ground of assurance that He (Father God) will provide both spiritual and material needs." Look at Luke 11:9-13. You will see that Jesus is speaking and asks questions regarding human parents; how they give to their children. They don't deceive them and neither does God. In fact, we can expect the Father to bless us with His best all the time! With the gift of the Holy Spirit being the best gift God gives to us, we are reminded of the priority God places on our spiritual need over our material need.
Look at verse 13. It says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Jesus first began this teaching on prayer (verses 1-4) and about persistent (verses 5-8). In verse 9 He tells us we must ask. When we ask He says, "it will be given to you." Verse 10 says, "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Praise the Lord! Ask for the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live for Him! Continue to ask, seek, and knock. You'll find you do it His way! His way for our life is righteousness!
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Holy Spirit at Work
The Holy Spirit is to be at work in us. God's ultimate objective is for us to have a longing for Him and a desire to glorify Him and please Him. This is the object, aim, purpose, and goal, of the Spirit's work in us. The Holy Spirit leads us into a longing desire for the Lord and His desires becoming our desires. The Holy Spirit is the One responsible in wooing us to the Lord that we become one of His children. As disciples of Christ we are to then walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit just as Paul, Barnabas, and the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria did!
John 14:16-17, Romans 8:14-17, Acts 9:26-31
John 14:16-17, Romans 8:14-17, Acts 9:26-31
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Fuller Experience
"I'm born again, filled with the Holy Ghost, baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues!" Have you ever heard that before? It's true and it's Biblical. Some people get born again and when you are born again you have the Holy Spirit residing in you to comfort, teach and guide you into a holy life - others get born again and besides being given the Holy Spirit within they gain a fuller experience by being baptized in the Holy Spirit and this experience comes with the evidence of speaking in tongues as well as living a holy life.
In Acts 19:1-7, Paul finds a group of men who are basically unaware of the development of Pentecost and have not experienced this baptism. Their conversion experience - or could we say their being born again (baptized by John the Baptist) was with the knowledge that a fuller experience with the Holy Spirit would come but without the realization that it had come. So Paul takes care of this by leading them into a fuller experience with the Holy Spirit by re-baptizing them.
With the coming of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements came the demonstration of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience that provides the believer with spiritual power for intensified service. Shouldn't we all long for this fuller experience in our Christian walk?
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. Speaking in tongues is a gift. It is a sign or one evidence that the presence of the Holy Spirit is in you. This assures the believer of a living witness within. It is not himself that has the power but Christ in you - the hope of glory!
Acts 10:44-47, Colossians 1:27
In Acts 19:1-7, Paul finds a group of men who are basically unaware of the development of Pentecost and have not experienced this baptism. Their conversion experience - or could we say their being born again (baptized by John the Baptist) was with the knowledge that a fuller experience with the Holy Spirit would come but without the realization that it had come. So Paul takes care of this by leading them into a fuller experience with the Holy Spirit by re-baptizing them.
With the coming of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements came the demonstration of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience that provides the believer with spiritual power for intensified service. Shouldn't we all long for this fuller experience in our Christian walk?
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. Speaking in tongues is a gift. It is a sign or one evidence that the presence of the Holy Spirit is in you. This assures the believer of a living witness within. It is not himself that has the power but Christ in you - the hope of glory!
Acts 10:44-47, Colossians 1:27
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Holy Spirit
Do you know Him? We speak of God throughout the world and throughout the world we introduce others to Jesus, but how many of us truly know and understand the Holy Spirit whom Jesus left with us when He left earth? We often neglect the Holy Spirit unknowingly throughout our lifetime; mostly due to lack of knowledge. We hear about Him and read about Him as wind and fire but He's not the wind or fire; He is a person. We ought to get to know Him and learn from Him. Jesus gives Him to us for specific purposes - to comfort, teach and guide us through our journey as a Christian. He resides in us for such purposes - let us get to know Him.
Mark 1:8, Acts 1:8; 2:4, 19:2-7, John 15:26
Mark 1:8, Acts 1:8; 2:4, 19:2-7, John 15:26
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Free Indeed
Free your heart of your possessions and do not seek for security in your wealth. Place it all in the hands of the Lord and trust Him to take care of you!
Matthew 19:21-26, John 8:33
Matthew 19:21-26, John 8:33
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