It’s a Forever Kind of Thing

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   Romans 8:38-39

My thoughts:
“Give thanks to the Lord our God and King
His Love endures forever
For He is good, He is above all things
His Love endures forever”   - Chris Tomlin, Forever, 2001 ©

Today is a good day, but there have certainly been bad ones along the way.  Each day the alarm goes off and my feet swing from under the covers to land on the cold floor.  I am reminded that the Lord is still in control and His love will never fade away.  Despite the pain, the fears and the uncertainty that lie ahead of me on this day, my faith is not shaken.  Because for the next 24 hours, the Lord has blessed me once again to rise from this bed and serve Him with my words and actions.

There will come a day when I will not be so blessed as I am today.  When I will not be able to swing my legs from the bed and stand.  When my mind will not be so clear, and my body not so capable.  There will come a day when fear so grips me, or the pain and sadness overwhelms me to such a degree that I just want to stay under these covers and avoid all human contact.  There will be days when I am so angered at those around me or my circumstances that the hatred can consume my thoughts.  You see, each and every day is unique in the challenges that will face us, but one thing is constant – God’s love doesn’t change.

His word promises that nothing can separate us – not physical ailments, not fear, not anger, not pain or sadness.  We may not immediately see His love, but we can trust that it’s there none the less.  He will not turn from us.  If we are feeling the loneliness of missing God the Father, it is we who have turned from Him.  This can only be reconciled by repenting and turning back to His love and grace.  So, whatever it is that keeps you from His loving arms today, turn from it; turn from the pain, the fear, the anger, the sadness, the depression, the pride and come back to the realization that this day belongs to Him, and your purpose is to share His love with those around you.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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The Final Eclipse

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”   John 3:19

My thoughts:

Just listen to or read the news headlines on any given day.  The world is full of evil and darkness.  The heart of the child is being corrupted by the sounds of the keyboard and mouse.  I fear that the social skills of this generation are built upon the weak foundation of the world wide web, google and twitter.  The simple fact that 88 percent of teenagers (13-17) have or have access to a cellphone, and 91% of teenagers have access to the internet and spend an awful lot of productive time using both.  This has become the new way of communication and it is breaking down the basics of humanity at it’s core.

Granted, not all teenagers are lumped into this single bucket, but consider that many of them spend more time on their phones, tablets and laptops than actually speaking with another person in a friendly, social environment.  Sure, they speak in class, at the dinner table and when involved in extra-curricular activities; but I have found that much of their “free-time” is now spent in Snapchat, Instragram, Facebook, Twitter and other electronic means of communication.

Why is this so important, or why should you care?
Hypothesize with me if you will.  If God is all about love and sharing His love with our neighbors, families and friends; then if the evil one of this world can remove that interaction from our lives, it gives him a much easier path to instill self-centeredness, greed, entitlement and anger into these lives.  There was a time when violence wasn’t the path to resolving conflict.  Looking at the youth of today though, that seems to be their method of coping with issues that arise in their life.  Be it the protestors (either side), the shooters, the cop-killers or the cyber-bully – they all fall into a similar stereotype.  Look at these individuals and you will find someone who is: self-centered, focused only on their happiness, angry with those that disagree, unremorseful to inflict pain on someone who opposes them and looking to blame everyone else in the world except for themselves.  This persona is the exact antithesis of what God has called us to be.

It is a darkness in the world that has etched it’s way into our lives slowly, but methodically so we wouldn’t notice it immediately.  But, suddenly, though we know where the light switch is, we have found ourselves very comfortable sitting in the darkness and looking at the sliver of light in the corner.  We know that evil is all around us, but fear and to some degree comfort, have settled in such that we aren’t inclined to actually do anything to bring light back into the situation.  That’s the state of our world.  Too many self-proclaimed Christians are sitting in the dusk between the ever increasing shadow and the diminishing light in this world.  Unless we decide to stand up, I truly fear that darkness will overtake mankind and the desire for light will be gone completely.

I suggest you take this to heart and look into the darkness that covers most of our college campus’ today.  I’ve watched interview after interview of our college students boldly staring into the camera and claiming there is no God and that this world is designed strictly for survival of the fittest.  This generation of young people are walking away from the light without any knowledge or concern that they are stepping straight into the shadows of evil. 

We know it’s happening, yet we are willing to sit idly by and watch, then we too have accepted the fact that it’s acceptable for darkness to take our children away from us.  You and I are called to grab their hand and help them find the light once again.  Don’t turn from this problem, it will only get worse.  The scriptures have made it clear that this world will get darker before the coming of our Lord.  Look around yourself and you can see it is happening.  Choose to help those who are blind find their way back.


Be Blessed,

Rich

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God Loves You Most

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   Romans 5:8

My thoughts:

“Who do you love?  Yeah, who do you love?”  Famous singer, Bo Diddly, in the 1950’s coined these lyrics, and they have been sung by millions upon millions since.  When it all comes down to it, we don’t really even know what love is.  For there is only one true, pure love and that is agape love, from the Father.

You kiss your spouse goodnight and whisper “I love you”.  When you leave your date at her doorstep and turn to walk back to your car, she tells you “I love you”  When your child is struggling to get it right, and everything looks negative, you calmly take their hands in yours and tell them “I love you”  When your best friend is going through a hard time and your there to provide support and a shoulder, it’s so easy to say those three little words, “I love you”  When you show up at the hospital and the family is crowded around the parent in their bed, you lean in close and hear those words for the very last time, “I love you.”

The words fall from our lips with ease and trigger emotion in our soul that is often followed by tears, joy or comfort.  When we say the words though, how often are they said as a cliché, or out of habit vs the authentic, deep, heart tugging love that we ought to have for one another?  You see, I think the words have lost their meaning, especially since we have removed the importance and sanctity from the words.  Love is now one emotion that is shared between anyone at any given time without the sincerity or heart felt truth behind it.  Most of you are aware that there are multiple Greek words for love: Eros ~ love of the physical nature; Phileo ~ love your friends; Storge ~ familia love as in parent to child; and Agape ~ love that is beyond understanding as in the Love from God.  Paul warns in 2 Timothy 3:1, that one mark of the “terrible times in the last days” is that people will lack natural love for their own families.  Have we come upon those days?

The love of the Father though is unlike any of these, and so incomprehensible in human terms, because we cannot love in the same manner.  His love exceeds anything we can imagine or conjur up in our mind when we try.  You see, His love transcends all other things, any emotion, any physical boundary, any action, any thought, and any sin.  He cannot stop loving you in the most extreme sense of the word.

Several years back I coined a phrase in our home and with my friends – “I Love you more”  It wasn’t intended to be a statement of superiority over their love for me; but rather a statement that they could be confident that regardless of what happened between us, my love was stronger.  It was a statement that I love you more than this temporary setback or strife that may have come between us.  Even then though, this commitment of loving them pales by comparison to the love the God promises us. 

Our only action to receive this love from the Father is to be conceived.  There is no amount of good works that you can achieve in this life that will make Him love you more.  For if this were true, than His grace becomes a farce.  For through His grace, He loved us when we didn’t deserve it and still does to this very day.  You are unlovable but yet He loves you more and always will.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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It's Not Your Choice

“When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.” – Acts 9:26

Let’s face it, at the root of our being, most people don’t like change.  We become comfortable with our lives and routines because it decreases the stress and creates an environment of control.  When change does come upon us have you noticed how quick others are to be critical and challenge the newness?  I believe it is in our human nature to be skeptical and cautious around others that demonstrate a significant change in life.  Depending on the significance of the change, it may take years to once again gain the confidence and strength of some relationships.  I think of the great author C.S. Lewis.  At a young age, he was known atheist and debater against the belief in God.  He had described himself as “being angry with God for not existing.”   In his later 20’s and early 30’s he encountered God through debates with his friend J. R. R. Tolkien; while at Oxford University.  As he described his own conversion, “..was brought into Christianity like a prodigal, kicking, struggling, resentful and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.”  Since his conversion, he has become one of the most influential Christian authors of the 20^th century. 

Picture in your mind someone in the 21^st century with a known and professed hatred of Christians.  Think of someone who has devoted their life to destroying the Christian church, even to the point of arresting and murdering Christians in honor of their belief in God.  Now, imagine that this person showed up in your city tonight and was holding a Christ centered revival.  What is your immediate thought?  I can tell you mine would be very skeptical, very cautious and there is a strong likelihood that my biasness’ and understanding of the person’s past would get in the way of my accepting him/her as a new follower of Jesus Christ.  I am so confident in my understanding of this person’s past, that I would find it very difficult to accept that God could or would want to use them for His future.  That’s exactly what happened to Paul.

As Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion and time spent in Arabia, he was not accepted by the followers of Jesus Christ.  They knew his past and could not fathom that he could have been converted.  To them I’m sure it seemed like he was plotting, scheming to get them all together just so he could capture them all at one time.  Gaining the trust of the disciples would take years for Paul.  Eventually though, by his actions, his testimony and his demonstration of the love of Jesus Christ they came around to accept him for who God had called him to be.

We will be challenged in our faith.  People will question the authenticity of what we are saying because they know our past.  The important thing to do, is stay focused on the One who called you and spreading His truth to any and all.  Just as some will challenge your faith, we must be cautious of challenging other’s faith and profession of Jesus Christ as Lord.  Jesus Christ blood can redeem even the most vicious and evil men we can think of.  If that is not true, then He did not die for all of our sins.  His death on that cross and resurrection was not for a select group of individuals, and not for others.  No, it was for all of mankind’s sins.  It is not our prerogative to decide who has and who has not received the salvation of Jesus Christ.  Only God knows the condition of a man’s heart.  We must remain focused on the act of forgiveness and allow God to focus on the act of justice.  Consider this scripture of Paul’s acceptance as you look at those around you.  There may come a day when you are face to face with the next great missionary for God’s kingdom.  Be careful not to judge them on their past, but on what God can do with their future.

 

Prayer:
Lord,
Today let us see through Your eyes.  Let us accept the grace of Your salvation in it’s completeness.  Help us to be non-judgmental against our brothers and sisters in Your grace, and give us the discernment to realize when others are using Your name as a deceptive tool.  We acknowledge that You are sovereign and can use any person You choose for Your kingdom.  Help us to see Your love, mercy and kindness expressed through other’s actions.  In Your name we pray - Amen

Learning to Love

“And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” Matthew 22:37

My thoughts:

I try to be loving and compassionate and understanding and patient, but sometimes it is difficult.  I love them without condition, undeniable and with every ounce of my being, but sometimes they just don’t listen.  Of course I’m referring to my children.  As a parent, perhaps you are in the same place.  Why is it that my children are smart, talented, loving and polite; yet disobedient at the same time?  I’ve watched the way they treat their friends and their friend’s parents. 

I’ve been at our friend’s homes with my kids and watched my kids take care of their dishes, their trash and pick up after themselves.  Using every manner we’ve ever taught them.  But then, I see them completely abandon these same manners in our own home.  They complain, they argue, they leave stuff everywhere and it’s like pulling teeth to get them to help with trash, cleaning, taking care of shoes and bicycles, or picking up their rooms.  The respect they demonstrate for Lisa and I is evident when others are present, but seriously lacking at other times when it’s just us.

And so it is in the way we treat our heavenly Father.  When we’re around other Christians or “like minded” individuals it is so easy to be on our best behavior and use our biblical manners; but when we are in the confines of our own little world it is so easy to slip into rebellion and destructive behavior.  Why is this the case?  God has made the rules very clear – love Him above all things, with every ounce of our being; and love others as yourself.  It’s not hard unless you start loving yourself more.

This is the path that leads to destruction.  When we put ourselves before others, including God and His plan for us, we are separating ourselves from His blessings and purpose.  Then we complain on where is God in this situation and that one.  It’s no different than your relationship with your kids.  You instruct them on right and wrong, good and evil, polite and rudeness.  You provide some discipline when they are outside of your established parameters.  But, when they are disobedient, ignoring, whining, complaining and thinking about how unfair life is – they are separating themselves from your parental guidance down a path of destruction for their life.

Just as you never stop loving your children, your heavenly Father never stops loving you, despite our many mistakes.  He has rules and guidelines and a path of righteousness laid out for you to follow, but we are distracted by the world and our own self interests.  I am thankful that He is a loving Father that guides my footsteps back to His path though.  If I treated my children the same way He treats me, I can assure you my household would be much more loving, peaceful and non-confrontational.  I continue to learn each day from the Master as I delve into His Word for guidance, advice and counsel.  I suggest the same for you.  

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – Grace Rises to the Occasion

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I would like conclude our season of prayer with an encouragement for you. I was recently talking with a friend of mine, and we got into a serious discussion about our faith. Specifically, we were discussing the Coptic Christians in the Middle East who are being beheaded for their faith. The question was, “So what would you do if you were faced with that situation? Would you deny Christ, knowing you were just deceiving your persecutors to get out of this gruesome death? Would you stand strong and face it?” Now, I know what the right answer is. “I would never deny Christ, and I would gladly die a martyr’s death.” OK. So that’s the right answer. But I believe there is a very real grace of God that actually allows those men to face gruesome death. I believe grace rises to the occasion.

I don’t believe David was ready or able to face Goliath in his own strength. God’s grace in him rose to that occasion. I don’t believe Gideon was especially brave and skilled at leading a rebellion. God’s grace rose up in him to do what he could otherwise have never done. And I believe God will call you and me into situations this year that are so far over our heads—so beyond our skill and capacity—and yet sufficient grace will be available if we don’t blink. God’s calling is always beyond our ability. Many do not step into their calling because they feel so inadequate. They . . . we . . . I feel weak and unfit for the task. In those times, we can count on the grace of God rising to the occasion.

Let’s prepare now for those opportunities. Let fuel our faith now so that we will trust that grace to rise. If you show up, grace will show up. We will take our inheritance in 2018 by the grace of God. And, His grace is sufficient!

February 6^th Prayer:
Great and Mighty God…Your grace is sufficient for me. Your strength is made perfect when my weakness and inadequacy is exposed. I anticipate Your power and enablement, that goes beyond my talent and gifts, to enable me to do far beyond what I could ever ask or think. Help me to not shrink back from any opportunity. By the grace of God, I am what I am. Thank You for Your sufficient grace . . . In Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:
Weakness, we don’t talk about it, we don’t want to acknowledge it, but it is very real none the less.  Each and every one of us will face challenges in our life that break us, cause us to tremble in fear and fell powerless.  These are the times when we must realize that God is our provider, God is our comfort, God is our strength and God is authority over all things.  God’s grace is sufficient for anything that we face.  Not some things, not the easy things, not the life or death things, but everything.  You cannot bring something to the throne of God that is beyond His ability to overcome. 

The key is to realize that in our flesh we are weak, we are frail, we are fearful and shaken; then to realize that we belong to the supreme authority over all things.  Once this realization sets in, dealing with our suffering, our fears, our weakness becomes manageable and conquerable.  The Lord is my strength, whom shall I fear?  No one and nothing.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – A Promise of Heaven

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am. John 14:1-4

February 4^th Prayer:
Jesus, you have prepared a place for me that is more wonderful than I can imagine. In Your presence is fullness of joy and at Your right hand are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11). When fear of death tries to cripple me and discourage me, I will trust in Your promise of a more wonderful place than earth. I am so excited to see You in heaven. And yet, it brings me joy and peace on this earth knowing that I will live eternally with You in a wonderful, beautiful place. I love this earth that You’ve made and consider it glorious. I can only imagine how much better our eternal home will be. Thank You, Jesus!

My thoughts:

Look around your surroundings.  Yes, right now, just look around.  Do you see furniture, electronics, food, animals, family members; perhaps outside of a window - trees, grass, snow, and bushes; perhaps on the road – cars, buses, bicycles, people walking or running?  Now imagine one day sitting in heaven and looking around yourself. What might you see?  Jesus, Paul, Abraham, Moses, Peter, John, Mary.  Perhaps your parents, grandparents, siblings and family.  Perhaps your friends, co-workers or people from church.  Do you see trees, grass, bushes, electronics, furniture, cars, buses or bicycles?  Are there sports stadiums, golf courses, fitness gyms, airports, office buildings, shopping malls, bars, movie theaters?  What about poverty housing, projects, drug houses, strip clubs, brothels, dark alleys or war zones?

Can you decipher the heavenly places from the earthly places?  There are obvious ones which aren’t likely to be in heaven, yet are very common here on earth.  If these are so obviously wrong from God’s Kingdom view, why are we even entertaining the idea and considering participating in such things.  You see, inherently you know what is “of God” and what is not.  Jesus tells us He will prepare a place for you in His Father’s Kingdom and then come back to take you there.  Can we not be patient in our waiting to join with Him at the appropriate time?

Choose wisely my friends.  Choose spiritually, that which is of God and resist that which is not of God for in the end, your treasure is in heaven, not here on this earth.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – A Promise to be For Us

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!— is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Romans 8:31-35

February 2^nd Prayer:
Praise be to God! You are for me! Even when my feelings question Your love and acceptance, I can rest on Your promise to be for me. You couldn’t have been louder or clearer when You gave Jesus to save me. I will stand on the “for me” promise I have in You. Nothing can separate me from Your love. I love You, Father!

 

My thoughts:

A few years back I drew a likeness of the image of Christ with the words “What More Shall I Do?  - God”  When I did it I was thinking of this very topic.

Here is my “simple man’s” way of outlining salvation.  God created the world and all that is in it.  Mankind destroyed the peace and blessing God had planned for us by turning from God and following the deceiving advice of the evil one, by Satan himself, in the garden of Eden.  Through Prophets, Priests, Kings, Pharisees and Sadducees God continued His pursuit of man.  In an attempt to bring them back into a right standing, a righteousness with Him; God laid out the law and process of redemption through the sacrifice of lambs.  He poured out His wrath on those who rejected Him and by choice turned away from Him, while blessing those who followed Him and abided in Him.

Over time even God’s children had turned from loving Him and worshipping Him into existing through ritual and habit.  They had made a mockery of His love for them and His protection over them.  Sin abounded through pride, greed, power and self-centeredness rather than outwardly loving and caring for others.  God then set a new covenant in place with mankind.  A covenant built on His own sacrifice and His own grace, rather than relying on mankind.

In a single act of love God sent His only Son to the earth as a sacrifice for all mankind.  The perfect, sinless lamb of God would be killed, and His blood would be spilled as the propitiation, the payment for our sins.  By His design, because He is omnipotent and sovereign, He made a way for all of mankind to come back into His peace with the death and resurrection of one man, one perfect sinless man.  For you see, Jesus had to have lived a perfect sin free life in order to redeem our sins.  God required that the blood of redemption not be tainted by man’s sinfulness. 

Jesus Christ, lived the perfect, sinless life on this earth.  He was tempted, He was beaten, He was mocked and made to suffer; yet He never turned on those, but rather found a way to love them, through God.  So, when He walked up the hill at Calvery, cross over His shoulder, rocks cutting into His bruised feet, He was the perfect lamb of God, ready for sacrifice.  As His blood shed on that hill, the atonement for sins was paid.  It didn’t stop there though, because generations of mankind would come after Him.

His resurrection from the grave, and ascent into heaven established Him as the only path to God for future generations to come.  He sits at the right hand of the Father and continues to this day to atone for mankind’s sin.  He is the eternal sacrifice and filter for our imperfect, sin-filled lives.  We are drawn to Him because of our inherent need for redemption from Adam’s first sin.  Our sin is forgiven through Jesus Christ because God provided a way.  Not because we deserved it, but because of His loving grace for us.

So, I ask you as a proxy for God the Father, “What More Shall I Do?  - God”

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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37 Days – A Promise to Finish His Work in Us

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. Philippians 1:6

February 1^st Prayer:
Father, You promised that I would be transformed into the image of Jesus. You predestined it at the point of my salvation. Thank You for changing me from the inside out. I get off sometimes and wonder if I’m going ever get back on track. But You have promised to get me to the finish line looking like Jesus. I receive Your promise today and cooperate with Your spirit’s work to finish what You’ve begun in me . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:
So many of us have disqualified ourselves from the grace and salvation of our Lord because of something we have said or done.  Even those of us who claim to be “saved” and part of His Kingdom will find ourselves discounting our salvation because we find ourselves in the act of sinning again.  We need to realize that God has called us to salvation, not in order to expel us once we have slipped, but to bring us to an eternal peace with Him.  God created you, He knows your inner thoughts and weaknesses.  He also has provided the Holy Spirit to dwell within you as you Counselor, Comforter and Advocate (as we discussed yesterday). 

The Holy Spirit is strengthening and growing your wisdom, your courage, your resolve and your ability to stand firm in the righteousness of the Father.  In 1 Peter 2:2-3, we learn that all Christians grow up in our salvation; ”Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good”  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:2 “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.”, letting us know that we are all going to learn, grow and mature in our salvation. 

My friend, do not be discouraged when you fall.  You will fall.  The key is to realize God’s love doesn’t change because you make a mistake.  He can’t love you more tomorrow than He does today.  His plan of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is infinitely designed.  You will always fit under the umbrella of His grace and loving forgiveness; and one day when Christ returns, we will be found holy and righteous enough to enter into His presence.  He will finish what He has started in you.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – A Promise of the Holy Spirit

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins, turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to show that you have received forgiveness for your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Acts 2:38-40

January 31^st Prayer:
Jesus, You promised in John 14 to give us another Helper—the Holy Spirit. You are the One who baptizes me in the Holy Spirit. I believe You! You promised me the Holy Spirit, and I know by faith that I am now the temple of the Holy Spirit. O Holy Spirit of God, love through me, joy through me. Let Your peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness be evident and visible in my life. Release Your powerful gifts to flow freely in and through me . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

The Holy Spirit, my helper, my comforter, my advocate and my mentor.  In the book of John, the 14^th chapter; Jesus tells us that He will send the Holy Spirit as our advocate.  He gives us a clear understand that He, the Father and the Holy Spirit are one; and that as a believer we receive the Holy Spirit, who will dwell within us.

“If you love me, keep my commands.   And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you….But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”  John 14: 15-20, 26 (NIV)

Jesus was explaining to the disciples that He must leave and return to the Father, but that they (and therefore we) would not be alone in our pursuit.  Many fear the Holy Spirit because accepting requires admitting that God is always, always with you and guiding you.  Others, will demonstrate with outward examples of the Holy Spirit in their lives and acknowledge His presence through dance, worship, speaking in tongues and using their gifts for the Lord. 

What is it that the Holy Spirit is doing in and through your life?  Are you accepting His presence, letting His love flow through you, using your gifts as an expression of His purpose or worshipping and sharing His presence with others?  Just as the Father, nor Jesus can accept sin, neither can the Holy Spirit.  Our sinful worldly nature goes against His very nature, so there is a battle inside every time we are outside of His plan.  He is our advocate and therefore pulling us back to the righteous path.  This is why we know what is sinful in the eyes of the Lord and what is good.  We are righteous because He is righteous through us, not because of anything we have done or earned.  Believe that He is in you and leading you toward the Father’s perfect plan, and trust that indeed He is there for your peace, comfort and strength as you follow the Lord.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – A Promise of Peace

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

January 30^th Prayer:
Lord Jesus, circumstances, worries, and fears are all the giants standing on my promised land of peace. I receive my promise today and I speak peace over my life . . . my family. . . my finances . . . my children. I speak to the thought storms . . . stress storms . . . relationship storms . . . emotional storms: “Peace, and be still!” Thank You for promising me peace today. I know that He who promised peace is faithful! In Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

In these troubling times, how can we find peace of mind and heart?  I look around and see anger, frustration, hatred, greed and envy.  The rapid pace of the daily life often times gets the best of me and I find myself chasing the problems in this world rather than pursuing the peace that is promised in the scriptures.  Are there people in this world that live in joy, happiness, hope and humility?  Absolutely, and it is those individuals that have found the peace found in God alone.

People are searching for peace.  It’s been going on for centuries and yet we still find ourselves seeking, longing and striving in our quest.  Each day, I hear of the anger people have for one another because of our difference of opinion, because of our skin color, because of our gender or because someone has made different choices in life.  The media frustrates me, it brings out the worst in people and propagates the message of separation in society.  When analyzed this message, this philosophy stems from a philosophy of self-centeredness, self-interests and hierarchical goodness, rather than equality and humility. 

By looking at the world around us, we cannot find peace.  By looking at our own life experience and choices, we cannot find peace.  By looking at celebrities, sports heros, musicians, politicians or successful executives, we see the image they want us to see, but here again, we won’t find peace through them.  Jesus Christ came to this world and gave us a way of salvation, and a path to righteousness so that we may enter into eternity and find peace with God the Father. 

In observing and studying His life and His purpose, we can find peace.  The peace is not around us though, the peace is in knowing that this is nothing more than a micro-dot on an infinitely long timeline.  Peace comes when we stand before the Lord and enter into His Kingdom.  No fear, no anger, no judgement, no jealousy, no self-desire, no envy, guilt or hatred – only love – perfect love for the Father and all others.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – A Promise of Rest

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter his rest. Hebrews 4:1-3

January 29^th Prayer:
Thank You, God, for the rest that I can enter because of Jesus. I am saved! I am redeemed! I have been reconciled to You because of the work of Jesus, and I can rest. I rest in the fact that I’m forgiven. I rest in the fact that I’m accepted by You. I rest in the established fact—established by the blood of Jesus—that I’m a child of God. I take a firm grip on this promise by faith and I rest . . . because this is Your promise to me and You are faithful . . . in Jesus’ name!

 

My thoughts:
God established a day of rest.  Read Genesis 2 and discover that indeed after completing the creation of the heaven’s and earth, and all things therein.  What Paul then shares with us in Hebrews 4 is that as believers, as children of God, we are entitled to enter into this rest with our Father.  One day, when this life has drawn to a conclusion and our eyes have closed for the final time, we will find our rest, our peace our comfort in the bosom of our heavenly Father.

Wo be to the one who has rejected Jesus Christ though.  For God states that these will not find rest in Him.  They will not enter into His Kingdom, His rest and peace.  This is not because of God’s hatred or desire to punish, but because of a choice that every person must make.  Given the information, alternatives, choices in this life to accept Jesus Christ and follow His teachings or to turn away and reject Him, they have chosen the later. 

Throughout the scriptures we are given a perspective of what, those who refuse the good news, will receive in the last days.  Eternal separation from God, described as wrath and anger, described as a pit of fire, as screaming anguish and gnashing of teeth.  Far from rest, peace and love of the Father.  This is why our purpose on this earth is so important. 

We, who believe, are comforted to know that we are in the Father’s rest.  But, assuredly, you know 5 to 10 close family or friends that are not.  Shouldn’t we therefore be busy in the Lord’s work and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with them?  If not, then why not?  Please consider the reality the depth of love you have for your fellow man and take the action to do something about it.  Perhaps, putting our pride aside is called for, in order to help others find rest from their struggles in life.  Pray on this, won’t you?

 

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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37 Days – Discouragement Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired. Isaiah 40:29-31

January 28^th  Prayer:

Lord, I thank You today that You renew my courage when I’m running low. You refresh my faith when I’m faith-fatigued. Lord I believe. Help my unbelief. Thank You that You don’t shame me for getting tired and weary. You renew my strength like an eagle and give me fresh courage for discouragement. I will wait upon You in worship today as You renew my hope, faith and courage. . . in Jesus’ name!

(Name the areas where you feel discouraged today.)

My thoughts:

One of my favorite scriptures as a younger man trying to press on in life.  To do lists, work projects, bills, family time, social time and staying on top of my Christian walk – it all adds up and often times becomes overwhelming. 

When I visited Israel for the first time back in 2001 (summer before 9-11) I recall driving through the countryside near Gilgal and En Gedi.  Our tour guide, Avi, motioned out into the mountainside to observe the rock formation rising from the parched land.  These rocks were in the perfect shape of Eagles wings, creating a perfect shadow in the shape of a soaring eagle covered the caves etched into the side of the mountain.  Can you imagine the time that David hid in those caves of En Gedi?  He had to be tired, weary and questioning his strength to carry on.  Saul was on the hunt for him, and he was on the run.  Yet, he found strength in the Lord to rise from that cave and sneak into Saul’s camp one night, and while Saul slept, David tore a piece from his clothing.  He then used this to demonstrate to Saul that he had no intention of harming him, for he could have the night before while he slept.

The Lord will provide the strength and lift you up when you think you can’t stand again.  An eagle can soar up to 2 miles in the air, (highest known flight), with grace, beauty and power.  When Isaiah mentions soaring on wings of eagles, he is bringing this image into the hearts of those who are struggling in their walk of faith.  Today we can be filled with this image as well, the image of a strong, confident, powerful and graceful eagle soaring through the sky without tiring and rising to heights that the Lord brings us to.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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