March 23, 2007

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. Mark 6:31

In today's society of high speed everything, we tend to burn out. Sometimes we just need a break--physically, emotinally, mentally, and spiritually. That's what happened here to the disciples, and Jesus pulled them aside. Rest is important. Without it our bodies weaken, our mental clarity and sharpness diminishes, and our spirit becomes worn down. Every now and then take some time to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Spiritually, take some time to get away with the Lord. You're sure to come back refreshed.

March 18, 2007

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that htough wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested. 1 Chronicles 4:10

There's a difference between being content and being satisfied. One of the primary reasons people are not where they want to be in life--are not happy--is that they are satisfied too soon. God wants you to be happy! He wants to bless you in ways that you cannot even imagine! But if we sit back and accept what we have and where we're at, we may well never see those abundant blessings. Don't be a have-not-because-ye-ask-not Christian; be a Jabez. Seize the day! Tell God exactly what you want...and expect great things!

March 17, 2007

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8

This morning at about 8:30 a legend died. Roger Bennett, acclaimed pianist of the Cathedrals and Legacy Five, lost a long battle with leukemia.

I'm sad. I'm sad for his wife Debbie and children Jordan and Chelsea who are missing a husband and father. I'm sad for his fellow group members who are without a close friend and confidant. I'm sad for his multitudes of fans who will never again hear a hero of the faith and superb musician minister in song. I'm sad for everyone who will miss Roger Bennett.

But I am not sad for Roger Bennett!

Indeed, I'm happy for him. Roger was hurting. Roger was, I dare say, so very, very tired. And at this moment he's pain free and not the least bit tired. I write this with confidence. Roger Bennett is not in a morgue or funeral home; he's in the presence of the God he spent the last 28 years singing about across the country--even around the world. Roger's frail and pain-racked body was left behind, and he is right now--at this very moment--experiencing the freedom and joy of true healing.

We'll miss you, Roger, but our tears will also be joyful ones for your sake. See you on the other side!

March 16, 2007

Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. Philemon 21

That's the kind of testimony we should all desire. As representatives of Christ, we should do everything we can to ensure that people have confidence in us. Do your co-workers and neighbors have confidence in you? Do they know you will do the right thing? Do they naturally expect you to go above and beyond--because you always do? I wonder, if asked, how many of those around us could say without hesitation that they are confident in us.

March 15, 2007

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Colossians 1:14

There are a lot of things that I don't have. So many, in fact, that I'm not even going to start listing some of them here. But I can tell you this: nothing that I don't have is worth anywhere near what I do have! I have redemption. I have complete and total forgiveness. I have liberty. I have peace. I have hope. I have Jesus!

March 14, 2007

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Psalm 146:5

Everyone wants to be happy. Some people spend their whole lives seeking happiness in everything you can think of: money, possessions, drugs, alcohol, sex, entertainment, charity, work, hobbies...the list is endless. Yet, as Solomon said, all that is vanity--worthless. There's a God-sized void in every human life that nothing and no one other than He can fill. But with Him in that spot, how happy we are! There's no need to worry--He's our burden-bearer. No need to fear--He's our protector. No need to faint--He's out sustainer. No need to wander through life--He's our guide. With the one true God in our lives, we can know true and lasting happiness!

March 13, 2007

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Matthew 9:12

There are a lot of people out there hurting. Many need and want someone to care, to be a positive influence in a life filled with negative. Maybe someone near you is like this, wanting you to be a friend, hoping you will help make them a better person. My question for you is, are you going to be that positive influence, or are you going to cut them off at the knees? I know people on both sides of this coin. I've seen those reaching out for help--and those so-called Christians smile to their face...then stab them in the back. Is that the sort of "Christian" you are? Are you the person who smiles and nods when a less-than-perfect friend/co-worker/church member talks to you...then criticizes them as soon as they walk away? Or are you the one who honestly listens and cares, who is attentive enough to sense their pain and reaches out to help? Remember: Jesus didn't come to save the angels--He came to save sinners.

March 12, 2007

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:2

This is one of the saddest verses in the Bible I think. We have such an awesome, able God, and He wants to do so much for us! Yet only one thing can prevent Him from blessing us like He desires--our sin. How often has my sin held back God's blessing in my life? How about your life? The thing God craves more than anything is fellowship with us, which is an incredible honor; but many times that fellowship is severed by our own doing. We choose our sin (which we often hate ourselves) over a personal relationship with our Savior! Don't let sin stand between you and the Lord--or between you and the Lord's blessings. Remove the hindrance and see how much happier your life will become.

March 11, 2007

Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: Isaiah 59:1

Never forget the liberating fact that your God can do anything. Nothing, nothing, NOTHING is too hard (or too easy) or too big (or too small) for your God to take care of! His reach reaches everywhere; His ear picks up the faintest of cries. And that ear is always tuned to the cries of His children; that arm is always anxious to reach out to His children. How wonderful to know that we serve a God who can!

March 10, 2007

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: Psalm 40:5a

How incredible it is to realize that God's thoughts are centered around us! God thinks about me! Did you know that? Did you realize that the sovereign God, the Master and Ruler of all thinks about you? And all that He does--all of His marvelous works--are done with us in mind. We are the center of His world. He loves us, He knows us, He cares about us, He thinks about us. We really do have an amazing, involved God!

March 9, 2007

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel 30:6

And you thought you had it bad! Just imagine being in David's place: his own king (whom he'd been ordained to seceed) wants to kill him, so he's living with and serving his natural enemies. He's willing to fight his own kinsmen for those enemies who have taken him in, but they will have nothing to do with him and send him home. Back at home a second set of enemies has burned his town and kidnapped his wives and children. Now the men who love him most want to ritualistically kill him!

But David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

There's that all-caps LORD again--Jehovah, the Almighty God. David was at (arguably) the low-point of his life, yet he was encouraged. Why? Because he realized that the most-high, almighty God was his God! That this God had not abandoned him and was standing by to protect and guide him. That same God is your God. And he's standing by to protect and guide you! Encourage yourself in the LORD your God--it will all be okay!

March 8, 2007

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Hebrews 8:12

This is such a wonderful declaration! God will have mercy on our unrighteousness--He will purposely forget our sins. Does that excite you? It should! All of our short-comings and failures; all of our rebellions and disobediences; all of our mistakes and errors--gone! The slate is clean, and the Savior waits with eraser ready to wipe away any and every mark that we'll put back on it. What a blessing it is to know that He doesn't remember my sin!

March 7, 2007

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Timing is important. We cannot overlook that fact. It is important in every interpersonal relationship we will ever have, and therefore to every aspect of our life. There will be times to joy with someone over their successes, and times to empathize with their failures. There will be times to rejoice with them over victories, and mourn with them over losses. There are times when we will need to keep someone grounded, and times to lift them up. There are times to correct, and times to forgive. Never overlook the factor of timing. It is an oversight that could cost you a relationship.

March 6, 2007

Put on the whole armour of God, the ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

One of the primary reasons that Christians fall is that they fail to keep one word of this command: whole. They don't realize that Satan only needs a little opening. He doesn't need you to be totally off guard and unprepared--he just needs you to leave one spot unprotected, and he can get you. Ours is a wily, ever-vigilant enemy. Put on the whole armour! Don't go into battle (and we do every single day) missing a single piece of your gear! Don't become a statistic because you slacked off in one little area.

March 5, 2007

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

The God of the Bible is a healing God. He knows when you are hurting, because He hurts, too. He knows when you're broken and feel like you can't go on--He feels it, too. Our God is a feeling God, and He longs to alleviate our pain. No matter how it seems to our finite minds, His goal and desire is never to hurt us! But when we do hurt--and we do and will--He is there to bring relief and healing. When the pain seems unbearable, He is there to help bear it. Remember: when your heart is breaking, His is also, and the Great Physician will come with true healing.

March 4, 2007

...avoiding...oppositions of science falsely so called: 1 Timothy 6:20c

As Christians and representatives of Jesus Christ, it is emminently important that we exercise great discretion in every aspect of our lives and beliefs. We have a responsibility to be aware of what is going on in the world around us, to know what we believe, and to have answers ready for those who will question us. Our Lord expects us to be strong and established enough in our faith to not fall for the false teachings that will certainly be thrown at us. Stablish and strengthen yourself in the Word, and you will be ready for any opposition that the world can hurl your way!

March 3, 2007

...avoiding profane and vain babblings, 1 Timothy 6:20b

There's a tendancy for us as humans to insert our own two cents into what God's said. The result is religion. And it's no wonder that so many are fed up with organized religion with its man-centered philosophies. God got it right the first time, there's no call for us to add to or take away from it. Let's strive, as bearers of the true gospel, to avoid inserting our own babblings into that Gospel. Take the Word at face value, trust it, and live it!

March 2, 2007

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, 1 Timothy 6:20a

We have been entrusted with something very special--the Gospel of our Lord. But too often it stays home on the shelf when we leave. This ought not so to be! The blessed good news that God has committed unto us should go with us everywhere! We should be spreading it abroad. Sadly, we're more interested in sharing the news of who got the boot on American Idol than we are about sharing the news that Jesus loves people and died to save them. Friend, as Paul exhorted Timothy, so I exhort you (and myself): keep that which is committed to thy trust!

March 1, 2007

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4
Hold onto your faith in the hard times; the times when it seems like nothing's going right; when the people doing wrong seem to be getting blessed for their evil; when there seems no way to withstand the opposition. We're promised that we will overcome. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. But we will win! Our Father's got everything under control, and as long as we hold onto our trust in Him, we know we'll overcome in the long run.