Love One Another

 “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God” – 1 John 4:7

When the crying had stopped, the little girl managed to tell her father just what had happened.  Apparently, there had been an argument over a toy, and the young boy had gotten somewhat aggressive with the little girl.  Both kids were prone to fighting and arguing from time to time, as all brothers and sisters do.  But this time, the tears in his daughter’s eyes were much more real, and the situation she described was far beyond the average spat between siblings.  The boy had lost his temper and physically hit his sister, who was 2 years older, but still much more fragile.  The father quickly analyzed the situation and had to make a prompt decision.  He could scold the boy, discipline him, and try to enforce their policy of peace rather than violence, but this wasn’t the first time, so obviously it didn’t work before.

The father called the boy into the room.  As he stood by the door, head hung in shame and guilt, the father called him closer.  “Joey, did you hit your sister?” the father asked.  “She pushed me and wouldn’t give me the game,” he replied.  “That is not the answer to the question I asked you, though is it?  Once again, did you hit your sister? Yes or no.”  “Yes”, Joey said with defeat in his voice.  “Joey, tell me the bible story about Jesus beating up the men in Jerusalem who arrested him.  Is that in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John?”  Joey thought a moment and answered that he couldn’t.

“Oh, come on, there must be a story of Jesus beating up someone.  After all, they arrested him, beat him, spit on him, called him names, nailed him to a cross, and killed him.  You mean he never raised a hand against them?” 

“No, sir.” 

“Well, he must have cursed them from the cross, right?” 

“No, sir.” 

“Well, tell me what he did to those men who beat him and spit upon him and nailed him to the cross?”

“He forgave them.”

“Really, just like that, he forgave them?  Wow.  Now tell me, what was it that your sister did to you that made you think you should hit her so hard that her arm is bruised and she had to come to me crying?”

How often do we overreact when someone wrongs us?  It is common for us to seek some sort of revenge when we are taken advantage of or hurt in any way.  God teaches us throughout the scriptures that vengeance is His and that we are to love our neighbor.  Who is our neighbor?  I propose that it is all of those you come in contact with throughout the day.  It is not only those who live on your block, but those who live on the earth.  The need for God’s love to be shared is not limited by the physical address you happen to live at.  If you wander across the railroad tracks to the “other” side of town, your neighborhood just doubled in size.  If you are traveling abroad, your neighborhood just expanded by thousands of miles.  God’s love is for all mankind; who are we to decide who is and is not worthy of receiving it?

The key is to seek the love of others as if God Himself were looking through your eyes.  There may be times when you find yourself beyond control, so look to Him for the strength to forgive and love them.  God has given everything for you and asked that you give everything for Him in return.  Who is it that you need to forgive today?  I think it’s time, take that step, won’t you?

Nothing

"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

 

The morning sun was just peaking over the horizon as he rolled over.   The first thing he noticed was that he was not in his bedroom.  It took a moment or two for him to recall what had happened and how he had ended up in this place.  His vision was very blurred, and breathing was difficult because a tube was coming from his mouth and taped to his cheek.  Despite his attempts to move his body, he couldn’t.  It’s as if his muscles couldn’t react to his brain's commands.  Through his squinting eyes, he saw the IV bag hanging and tubes connected to his arm, wires connected to his forehead, and a myriad of machines with numbers, making beeping sounds.  He noticed that his chest and abdomen were wrapped in white bandages, and there was a large circle of red and black right in the center of the bandages.  Suddenly, his mind began recalling what happened.  As the memories began to fill his mind from the night before, a pain overtook him, and he felt himself drifting back into a state of unconsciousness.

His mind did not stop, though.  He felt as if he were floating above his physical body and looking down upon himself.  He saw the hospital bed, the equipment and monitors, the blood-stained bandages, and his mother in the corner crying.  Then his eyes were captured by the tattoos covering his arms and shoulders.  The naked nymph that he had gotten in Mexico, the skull and crossbones, the knife blade dripping blood, the snake wrapping around the shoulder, the tattoo of the gun and bullet entering through the eye of a child.  The tattoos caused his mind to roll through his life history.  Small glimpses from his youth through today began to fill his vision in his unconscious state.  The life of partying, drugs, and violence; the people he had hurt, the pain he had caused others, all began to be revealed to him.  He saw all the women he had used and abused.  He saw the children now addicted to crack cocaine because he sold them their first joint.  He saw his mother’s tears as he slapped her and slammed his bedroom door in her face when he was just a boy himself.  He saw his dad taking his own life in their bathroom at home.  Then he saw himself as a small boy playing baseball and riding his new bicycle after school.  He saw his best friend, and he was laughing and playing with Hot Wheels and GI Joes.  The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and the grass was green as he saw himself learning how to ride a tricycle.

Suddenly, his eyes moved to the machine in the corner the beeps were slowing and the line had very few bars on the screen.  Something was happening as he looked at his body in that bed.  His chest was barely rising and falling any longer.  A bright flash of light and he was back in his dream like state.  He saw himself as a twelve year old boy walking down the aisle in church.  He recalled the large cross with Jesus hanging at the front of the sanctuary as he made his way down the long aisle toward the minister standing by his dad’s coffin.  As he touched the hard cold wood, he felt a hand on his shoulder.  Looking up it was Jesus Christ looking down into his eyes, with more love than he had ever felt before.  He said four simple words, “I’ll always love you.” 

A blur flashed before the man’s eyes and he was now standing in the same church, except the church was empty, dark and cold.  His eyes lifted to see the cross on the wall, Christ hanging there still.  In his vision, the man began weeping bitterly at the choices he had made in life since the last time he knelt on these steps.  Then a hand was on his shoulder and looking up, Christ stood before him, looking down upon him with incredible love.  “I’ll always love you.”, He whispered.  The man raised his arms showing his tattoos and scars from the needles and from the time he tried to take his life.  “But Jesus you don’t understand the things I’ve done, and people I’ve hurt”, the man cried out.  “I LOVE YOU.”, Jesus replied.  “No.  I raped that girl and I stole that woman’s purse.  I was in prison for shooting that kid in a fight.  I robbed the liquor store and beat that old man.  I haven’t stepped foot in this church in 20 years.”, the man argued back.  “I LOVE YOU.”, Jesus replied, and then raised the man to his feet and embraced him.  The man saw his own arms as Jesus lifted him and they were wiped clean, the tattoos were gone as was the bandages. 

“Nothing you do can separate you from Me and My love for you.”, Jesus said as He placed a kiss upon the man’s forehead.  He was swept away through the blurry darkness back to the hospital room and then total darkness.  His eyes opened once again, blurry looking up at the ceiling and the tubes and wires coming from his body.  Shifting his eyes to the side, he saw the monitors and the line was normal once again.  There were two doctors saying he’s stable now.  He saw his mother standing by his bed.  Her hand touching his face as tears flowed from her eyes, she smiled and said, “Welcome back.  We thought we lost you.”

---------------------------

You may feel that you have done terrible things in your life up to this point.  I want you to know that despite those choices, those actions, God’s love for you has never changed.  He loved you when you were born just as much as He loves you now.  His love is unchanging and just when you think you’re beyond His grace, He will lift you up, clean off the past and carry you forward to a new day.  Perhaps today is that day for you to receive His offering of grace and love.  If so, please pray this prayer with me, and invite Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior today.


Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I come before you this day as a sinner.  I ask Your forgiveness for my sinful ways and I turn away from that life.  I lay my sins at Your feet and acknowledge that You are my salvation.  I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord of my life.  I recognize that He lived, He died and He rose again on the 3^rd day, to take away my sins and by His blood my sins are washed clean.  I give my life to You to use and bring glory and honor to You in all that I do.  Transform me from my sinful ways and cover me with Your grace forever more.  Thank You for dying for me to receive eternal life with You one day.  Amen 

If you prayed this prayer, I believe you are born again as a new creation in Jesus Christ.  Please seek out and join a church in your local community to continue your growth as a child of God Almighty.






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Yeah, but Look at Him

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“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”  –Romans 3:23

“But officer, the guy in front of me was going faster than I was.”


How would this argument hold up if you were attempting to get out of a ticket for speeding?  It’s not likely that this would free you from your punishment.  We naturally have a tendency to justify our actions through a means of excuses or blaming others for our wrong-doing.  I’ve noticed it starts as a child.  Even at the age of 11 my daughter will look to avoid taking the blame for something when it’s obvious that she is the one at fault.  A glass of milk spills and she immediately looks to blame her brother, sister or dog.  Not one of us enjoy the realization that we are wrong in our actions.  Often times pride or arrogance will get in the way of us humbly accepting that we are wrong and then pursue a corrective action to overcome the problem.  It’s much easier to justify our actions or place blame elsewhere and continue down the path of denial than to face the circumstance, learn from it and repent.

So it is with God’s love.  I have spoken to so many people who view God as the policeman in heaven watching over every move we make and writing down the details in a police blotter somewhere near the pearly gates.  They have a difficult time realizing that God is a loving Father longing to fellowship with His children and sees us through the image of Jesus Christ.  I look at it from this perspective.  Despite my desire, I cannot stop sinning.  As much as I want to not sin against God, it’s going to happen.  I estimate that I sin multiple times a day, but for this exercise let’s say it’s 3x / day from the moment I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord (I was 12).  At this point in my life with this calculation, I have sinned 46,020 times in my life {of course in reality it is much higher}.  If I live to be 80 years old, I would have sinned nearly 75,000 times (using this math).  How does God let someone with 75,000 sins into His perfect heaven to fellowship with Him for eternity?

He doesn’t!

So, I’m sure you’ve caught on by now, we will all sin. That’s it.  It’s a fact of life and death.  From the moment we are born until the moment we die we will sin against God the Father.  Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, the Pope, Gandhi, Muhammad, Peter, Paul and yes even Mary equally sinned against the Father.  Because He demands perfection to enter heaven, He had to create a means of covering this gap.  In the old covenant, man would sacrifice the spotless perfect lamb in order for him and his family’s sins to be forgiven.  Enter in Jesus Christ and the new covenant between God and man.  God’s plan of closing the gap between our propensity to sin and His requirement for perfection was done through the death of a sacrificial lamb, namely His own Son.  Because Jesus Christ lived a perfect, spotless and sin-free life from birth to his death on the cross; He became the sacrifice for all mankind.  His death was sufficient to cover every sin ever committed up to that point, just like a lamb’s death would have covered the sins of a man and his family.  But, since that point in time (26 AD or so) there have been billions and billions of people on the face of the earth.  What about their sins?

Jesus Christ resurrection formed the new covenant between God and man.  Jesus went to hell on our behalf and took the sins of the world with him.  Then He rose from the grave and created a path of salvation for all mankind, for ever more.  God’s love for you is so unbelievable that He has given you a means to obtain forgiveness for the sins that separate you and He.  Because of our daily sin filled lives, we certainly don’t deserve this love, but He gives it anyway.  This is the grace by which Paul references throughout his New Testament writings.  Jesus Christ came to restore our connection and eternity with God the Father.  He alone has been set in place by God for this purpose.  Those that do not accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are outside of this grace, and their unrighteousness will be judged by the Father one day.

As we draw closer to Easter, I want you to begin thinking about His sacrifice.  Accept the fact that you are sinful.  Since Adam’s original sin, man has been born into a sin filled existence.  We want to think we are not that bad, “I mean look at that guy over there, he’s much worse than me.”, seems to be a common belief.  We need to get over this feeling of superiority and comparing ourselves to other men.  There is only one benchmark to compare your life to and that is Jesus Christ.  To enter heaven requires that you have lived a life of equal perfection and sinlessness when compared to Him, not when compared to “that guy over there”.  Acknowledge your sin daily and lay it down before the sacrificial Lamb of God.  Then pray for strength to turn from these ways.  Only through Him and His strength is this possible.  You cannot avoid sin on your own.



Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Your grace is sufficient for my unrighteousness.  I am forgiven and washed by the death and resurrection of Your Son.  I stand before You condemned in my sin, yet take hold of Your salvation through my profession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of my life.  I lay my sins at the foot of His cross and pray for strength to overcome this filth in my life.  In Your name I pray – Amen

 

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Empty the Closet

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“Neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."   –John 8:11

In the darkness, way back in the corners of your heart and mind there are those things which no-one else knows about.  You know it’s the unspeakable sins.  You’re not alone, I would guess to say that every single person reading this devotional today has a similar closet in their soul that they keep locked and hidden from others.  You might be able to hide it, yet it still eats away at you from time to time.  The closet door opens just a crack now and then and you are reminded of your sinful nature and who you were at one point in time.  The danger of harboring sin is guilt, shame and feeling unworthy.  It is a tool used by Satan in spiritual warfare, and it is highly effective to knock a believer off of God’s chosen path. 

So, what are holding onto and why? 
Most are holding on for one of 3 reasons:
   A) You believe the Lord isn’t going to forgive this sin and you’re embarrassed to admit it.
   B) You want to hold onto it as a statement that you are still in control of your life.
   C) You feel that if you give up this sinful area of your life the result will dramatically change who you are, and you are afraid of taking that step.

Jesus died for all of our sins, and has buried them.  He asks for everything, a total commitment to Him.  In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus tells His disciples to give up their selfishness, their very life and follow him.  He knows what is inside of you and asks that you give it to Him.  As with the prostitute in John 8:11, His grace and forgiveness covers all sin.  Wherever the sin ranks on the charts from 1 to 10, it is washed away.  The 10’s, 8’s, 5’s and even the 1’s and 2’s are all forgiven by His redeeming blood.  You see, if Jesus death and resurrection were insufficient for even one of these sins, then it is insufficient for all of them.  Keeping your closet door locked and holding onto the sins of your past is an obstacle between you and the Lord. 

Take time today to search your heart and your soul for those dark corners and closets.  Lay them before the Lord once and for all.  His forgiveness will restore your emptiness with His love, His passion and His purpose.  Removing these obstacles will allow you to discover a deeper, more meaningful purpose driven life with the Lord.


Prayer:
Loving Father,
Thank You for loving us unconditionally.  Thank You for washing our sins away and giving us new life through Your Son.  We come before You Lord with our hearts open to Your healing grace and ask for Your forgiveness.  Remove our shame and guilt, replace them with acceptance and love.  In Your name we pray – Amen
 


 

 

 

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I am Strong

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“That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  – 2 Corinthians 12:10

 

You Say (click Youtube) – Lauren Daigle (2018)

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours
And I believe, oh I believe
What You say of me
I believe

 

 

The path that we walk each day is going to be filled with individuals that don’t believe in you, and your purpose.  The reality is that each of us have an opinion of yourself that is known to us and our Creator.  That opinion is flawed though.  It is flawed in the understanding that we are using our most comprehensive knowledge of everything we have done, we have thought and we have said to form this opinion.  That leads us to an opinion that is open to the weakness of our flesh, our worldly perspective, and shame.  You must agree with me then that this opinion and perspective indeed is the most complete representation that anyone could have about you, because you know yourself better than anyone else.

With this opinion of yourself, good and bad, you will struggle, at times, to view yourself as deserving of the love of our Father in heaven.  But, you see, although your opinion is the most comprehensive opinion on the earth, it doesn’t compare to the opinion and perspective of your Father.  God’s perspective of you is void of your shortcomings, mistakes and misgivings.  He knows you through and through, deeper than you know yourself.  In Psalm 139, we learn that God knew us before we were born, He formed us in our Mother’s womb, He knows us and everything about us. 

In the Gospels, we learn that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to be the propitiation, the sacrifice for our transgressions.  By His death and resurrection, and through God’s grace, we are forgiven of our unrighteousness and given eternal life with Him in heaven.  God provided a way for sanctification because He so deeply loves us.  With this knowledge, that surpasses the knowledge of any man or woman, He knows you, better than you know you.  He decided that you were worth dying for, worth salvation.  He gives you value and worth, even when you don’t see it.

As the song above says: “you say I am loved, when I don’t feel a thing.  You say I am strong, when I think I am weak.  You say I am held, when I am falling short”  God is your strength and power when you are at your weakness.  He holds you high above anything mankind will say, because it is not based on your actions, but based on the you that He created.  Don’t misjudge the love of the Father, for it is unchanging, and forever there for you.

 

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Matter of the Mind

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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. “ – Romans 12:2

Walk in peace today; all of you who happen to be on the receiving end of this message this morning.  Allow your heart to be filled with His love today, and share that love with those that you meet throughout the day.  The opportunity to reach the world is present whenever you and I allow the Holy Spirit to reach within our heart and transform us to think differently. 

The world’s message is one of self indulgence, personal gratification, “It’s all about me”, succeed at any cost and then help others.  When we choose to walk within this attitude we deceive ourselves to believe that we are in control of our destiny.  We separate ourselves from the Creator, the farther down this path we walk.

Do you remember the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)?  The son takes all of his inheritance and pursues life’s pleasures.  He chases the self indulgent lifestyle that appears so attractive on the surface.  Eventually, as it will with every one of us, it is discovered to be empty of any real substance, for the pleasures are temporary.  Upon return his father spares no expense to welcoming him home.  Likewise, your Father in heaven will spare no expense in welcoming you home; even to the point of sacrificing His own Son for your redemption. 

The world’s view on life is to get as much as you can before you die.
God’s view of life is to give as much grace and love to others as possible before you die.

In either case, the end will come, and when it does our eternal fate will have been set.  Shift your thinking from focusing on the patterns of the world to focusing your mind on the spirit of God and rest in the joys that will last forever with Him in eternity.





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14 Days of Love – Day 8 – Everyone Needs Compassion

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”  – Zephaniah 3:17

One of my favorite Christian songs in recent history was Mighty to Save, written by Reuben Morgan in 2006.  It has been sung in churches and choirs all over the world for the last ten years and continues to be one of the most widely known contemporary Christian songs because it speaks of the deep need of mankind to find compassion.  We are all in need of someone to love us without condemnation, without opinion and without judgment.  We need to feel that there is someone out there that will accept us as we are and loves us enough to die for us.  People want to believe that God is there and will save them from themselves.  We want to trust that He will love us, despite our choices and mistakes in life. 

God’s justice will one day fall upon the world.  In that day we will be lifted up and held close to His chest.  Those of us who have fallen upon our knees and proclaimed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Almighty, will be sifted from the rest and brought before the Lord clean, spotless and redeemed.  In that day the Lord will judge the nations and every knee will bow before His great throne.  Those who have denied Him and those who have blasphemed Him will be judged without the compassion of the Savior.  The strongholds of the opposition will be broken and they will be left helpless against God’s wrath and fierce anger.

God is filled with compassion for those who call upon His name.  We will be forgiven of our wrong doing, and shown mercy and grace.  Eternity is open for the children of God, despite our transgressions because He has made a way.  He has unlocked the doors to heaven for His people to enter in.  Through Jesus Christ, He has provided the redeeming grace. 

The reason this song speaks so strongly to millions of people around the world is because it provides hope in the truth of the Lord.  What we have learned through the scriptures is exemplified through the lyrics of this song and makes a connection with God’s children.  The first time I heard the song at Fellowship of the Woodlands, I was brought to tears.  It spoke so deeply to my heart that God loves me enough to move mountains and every other obstacle in my path, until I am left alone with Him.  Jesus Christ conquered the grave and death.  He defeated Satan in that day and will one day return to defeat him in the final battle.  In God you have hope and a love that’s never ending.

Prayer:
Loving Father,
Today let us walk in Your light of glory.  Let Your compassion be known in our hearts and in our minds.  Fill us with Your love that we might share it with others and that they might see You through us.  I draw upon the hope of Your saving grace through Your Son, who rose from the grave and conquered death.  You provided a path of salvation for me because of Your incredible love for me, and I thank You with all of my heart.  In Your name we pray – Amen



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14 Days of Love – Day 6 – He Hates Me

“In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.””  – Numbers 14:19

 

I have heard many people tell me they hope God forgives them, or that they hope they are good enough to get into heaven.  Lord knows I do not have all of the answers, but I truly believe that God forgives ALL sin, and not a single one of us will ever be good enough to get into heaven.  Thankfully, that’s not a requirement.  A good friend of mine once came forward and told me of some unbelievable things that he had done in his past.  He was completely wrought with shame and embarrassment, but even worse he was convinced that God hated him for what he had done.  His logic was deeply engrained from his upbringing, that God was an angry Father who required us to walk in perfect submission in order to be accepted.  The slightest stumble would cost him his salvation and he would spend eternity in hell.  Such confusion exists in so many hearts today that it makes it near impossible for people to truly understand the love of God the Father.

The question at the heart of these concerns is really a question of God’s anger.  We hear so much about Gods love that we often fail to consider that He does also get angry with mankind.  Consider the context of this scripture in Numbers.  God had brought His children out of Egypt to reach the promised land, flowing with milk and honey.  In Numbers 13 we find them at the precipice of entering the land of Canaan, that God had promised them.  At God’s request Moses sends 12 spies into the land to report back about the land and the people living there in.  They returned and reported that the land indeed flowed with milk and honey, but the people there were giants and much stronger.  Caleb and Joshua stepped forward and insisted that indeed the others were larger and stronger, but with God they could defeat them. The people demanded that Moses and Aaron not go into the land, and they accused the Lord of bringing them out of Egypt to die at the hands of these people.  This drew God’s anger upon the people.  Not because of their sin, but because of their denial.  They denied Him and His promise, despite the miracles and provisions He had given to them, they were still blind to His love for them.  In the above scripture we see Moses asking the Lord to forgive these people rather than put them all to death.  With the depth of God’s love, He forgives them, but does not forgo their punishment.  For their stubbornness and rebellion, they are not allowed to enter the promised land.  Joshua and Caleb will enter in, forty years later, after each and every one of the people who left Egypt had died in the desert.

Does God get angry?  Yes, when we deny Him and His glory.  Through His son Jesus Christ we are promised eternal life in heaven one day.  Just as the children coming out of Egypt, God has made a promise to those who will follow Him.  He promises that all of our sins are forgiven, lest one and that is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, as stated in Mark 3:29.  God does not promise that we will not endure hardships, pains and struggles in response to our sinful actions and choices in life.  He does promise to forgive our sins and by His grace allow us entry into heaven.  You see, you don’t deserve to go to heaven and you’ll never be good enough to make it either.

God provided a way for you though, by His grace, He gave us salvation through His son.  So put away the thoughts that you aren’t good enough, you’re not and can never be, but He offers His grace anyway.  Put away the thoughts that God can’t forgive your sin, He already did when Christ rose from the dead.  Put away that thought that God doesn’t love you because you are suffering or have trouble, He loves you beyond measure, but there are some things which you must grow from and become a stronger follower.  He wants your obedience, trust and love – it’s not that much to ask.

Prayer:
Loving Father,
Forgive us for our sinful nature.  Build within us a stronger heart for You and a desire to live within Your will.  We look to You for our wisdom and guidance, Thank you for Your grace.  In Your name we pray – Amen



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Fourteen days of God’s Love: Day One

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God” – 1 John 4:7

 

When the crying had stopped the little girl managed to tell her father just what had happened.  Apparently there had been an argument over a toy, and the young boy had gotten somewhat aggressive with the little girl.  Both kids were prone to fighting and arguing from time to time as all brothers and sisters do.  But this time, the tears in his daughter’s eyes were much more real and the situation she described was far beyond the average spat between siblings.  The boy had lost his temper and physically hit his sister, who was 2 years older, but still much more fragile.  The father quickly analyzed the situation and had to make a prompt decision.  He could scold the boy, discipline him and try to enforce their policy of peace rather than violence, but this wasn’t the first time, so obviously it didn’t work before.


The father called the boy into the room.  As he stood by the door, head hung in shame and guilt, the father called him closer.  “Joey, did you hit your sister?” the father asked.  “She pushed me and wouldn’t give me the game.” he replied.  “That is not the answer to the question I asked you though is it?  Once again, did you hit your sister? Yes or no.”  “Yes”, Joey said with defeat in his voice.  “Joey, tell me the bible story about Jesus beating up the men in Jerusalem who arrested him.  Is that in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John?”  Joey thought a moment and answered that he couldn’t.


“Oh come on, there must be a story of Jesus beating up someone.  After all, they arrested him, beat him, spit on him, called him names, nailed him to a cross and killed him.  You mean he never raised a hand against them?” 
“No sir.” 
“Well, he must have cursed them from the cross – right?” 
“No sir.” 
“Well, tell me what he did to those men who beat him and spit upon him and nailed him to the cross?”
“He forgave them.”
“Really, just like that, he forgave them?  Wow.  Now tell me, what was it that your sister did to you that made you think you should hit her so hard that her arm is bruised and she had to come to me crying?”

How often do we over-react when someone wrongs us?  It is common for us to seek some sort of revenge when we are taken advantage of, or hurt in any way.  God teaches us throughout the scriptures that vengeance is His and that we are to love our neighbor.  Who is our neighbor?  I propose that it is all of those you come in contact with throughout the day.  It is not only those who live on your block, but those that live on the earth.  The need for God’s love to be shared is not limited by the physical address you happen to live at.  If you wander across the railroad tracks to the “other” side of town, your neighborhood just doubled in size.  If you are traveling abroad, your neighborhood just expanded by thousands of miles.  God’s love is for all mankind, who are we to decide who is and is not worthy of receiving it.

The key is to seek the love of others as if God Himself were looking through your eyes.  There may be times when you find yourself beyond control, than look to Him for the strength to forgive and love them.  God has given everything for you and asked that you give everything for Him in return.  Who is it that you need to forgive today?  I think it’s time, take that step won’t you?

 

Prayer:
Loving Father,
Give us the strength to love our neighbor and mankind with Your love.  Let Your words be upon our lips as we extend Your grace to those that we meet.  Help us to demonstrate Your love, mercy and kindness in all that we do today.   In Your name we pray – Amen



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We’re at War

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11
 
Perhaps you, like me, have struggled with thoughts or actions that are contrary to the walk of a Christian and you are feeling guilty.  Do any of these ring a bell?

“If God knew what I did last night, He would never let me into heaven.”

“I accept that Christ died for me, but I can’t stop thinking about . . . . “

“It’s just one drink, I’ve been sober for almost a year, I should celebrate.”

“Nobody will know if only do it this one time, what could it hurt.”

“They need to suffer, look what they did to me 10 years ago.”

These are just a few examples of everyday thoughts and justifications for actions that are not necessarily in line with God’s righteousness for your life.  Do you think you are the only one being tempted by a worldly perspective?  Think again.  There are unrighteous thoughts entering the minds of every Christian that walks or has walked upon this earth.  You are not unique in that, and Satan is alive and well – and knows exactly which buttons to push.

We are weak.  Let’s face it, our minds and heart are vulnerable to the sensuous pleasures of this life.  Be it money, fame, sex, drugs, alcohol, power and authority or food we are all in the same state and must decide how to handle it when it happens.  It’s so easy to live for today and forego dealing with the potential long term implications of the decisions we make in life.   Based on our naturally sinful heart and mind we have a propensity to act upon our thoughts and desires without fully comprehending how it might hurt others or who might be affected.  Let me ask you, if your decision made the headlines of your local news or the Wall Street Journal would it impact others opinion of you as a follower of Jesus Christ?  Every decision you make is known to someone else, based on the actions you take after making that decision.  If that person or those individuals look at your decision and action, and then make an assessment of Jesus Christ based on their perception; you have to ask yourself if you have glorified God or created separation from God.

In Ephesians 6 Paul writes about putting on the armor of God, figuratively speaking that is (v. 14 – 17). 
 - The Belt of Truth
 - The Breastplate of Righteousness
 - Ready your feet with the Gospel of Peace
 - The Shield of Faith
 - The Helmet of Salvation
 - The Sword of the Spirit

The battle of the mind and the heart is a daily battle, regardless of your age or maturity in Christ.  Satan is not going to walk away and throw up his hands in defeat.  His intent is to manipulate your mind into thinking that you do not need God, and he uses the world’s view as his weapons.  This battle between God and Satan is very real and the final outcome has been recorded in the book of Revelation.  You can’t read and believe the Bible and then throw out the book of Revelation as fantasy.  If you believe that God created the world, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, David was a shepherd boy and became King, Daniel survived the lion’s den, Noah built an ark, God flooded the earth, John baptized in the river Jordan and Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived, died and rose again; then you can’t say that the book of Revelation is not going to come to fruition.  There will be a judgment day and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, just as is recorded in the Good Book.

When the enemy attacks each day, you need to stand firm in the foundation of God’s love, His grace and His promise of eternity.  You will fail, we all do; but in that failing you must realize that God’s grace is unchanging and His redemption remains true despite our shortcomings.  Take your weakness to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help when you are weak.  He is your Lord and His word is your weapon.  Only you can decide on how you want to use it – either as a prop sitting on your bookshelf or night stand, or as a tool to take on the daily challenges you will face.  As for me, I choose the latter.  This doesn’t make me perfect or better, it just makes me prepared.





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I Remember When

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me. “  – Psalm 51:10

We know right from wrong.  From the moment of conception, while still in the womb we were fellowshipping with God the Father and being taught what righteousness looks like.  Yet, our lives are filled with the temptations and sin filled actions that completely contradict what He has placed inside of us.  Paul stated it in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  We are all born into a sinful world and learn the ways of the world through our upbringing and conforming to other’s expectations of us.

King David was no different.  As we recall his life we think about his courage in taking on Goliath and his compassion and love for God through his youth.  We think about his maturing to become the King of Israel and his loyalty to those around him.  Then we must also think about his transgressions and unrighteousness through adultery, lust, murder and self proclamation.  By no means was David perfect in his actions, but what set him apart as God’s chosen King and “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22) was his understanding of who he was in God’s eyes.

You see God can look past the sin, the unrighteousness and the transgressions.  His grace is sufficient for all of these shortcomings and behaviors.  God knows your heart, your soul and what it is that keeps you from Him.  He has given you everything you need to fully follow in His footsteps, but He has also given you the choice to refuse His grace if you so desire.  Notice how David states here in Psalm 51 – “…renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  The Holy Spirit never leaves you.  When you accept Jesus Christ as your savior and Lord, you can receive the Holy Spirit.  He dwells within your soul, within your mind and heart.  He will never leave you, despite the choices we make in life.  David is reaching out to the Lord to renew that compassion, desire and loyalty to the Lord hat he once held so dear in every decision he would make.  You and I need to do the same, and seek the renewing of our faith, trust and obedience to His word in our lives.
  
 Prayer:
Loving Father,
We come before You and acknowledge Your sovereignty Lord.  We ask Your forgiveness for our transgressions and our iniquities in life.  Help us to find the passion, the fire and the desire to serve You with the zeal of new lovers.  Build within each of us a compassion to live for You and to give back to You the praise, glory and honor that You so deserve.  In Your name I pray – Amen


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Even He is Forgiven

Click Here: Read Luke 19

“All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”"  - Luke 19:6
 

You are a sinner.  I am a sinner.  Every one of us is.  We are born sinners and without the grace of God, our sin, regardless of how great or how small, will keep us from being with God in eternity.  For He demands perfection, the perfect sinless life, to be in His presence.  This is impossible for mankind, and this is why Jesus Christ was born.  He came as the propitiation, the sacrifice for our sins, so that through His death and resurrection, our sins could be forgiven.  How great is this forgiveness of God the Father, that He would allow for you and I to enter into heaven, knowing the evil and sinful lives we have lived? 

The sound of steel sliding on the linoleum floor, hinges squeaking, long over due for some WD-40 and then the ominous sound of metal on metal as the door slams behind you. You stand before a tall man carrying a sidearm, who says nothing but motions for you to step into the side room and you oblige. Here you take off your coat and remove your shoes. You place your keys, wallet and anything else in your pockets other than coins into the small locker. After your feet have been inspected and you've been patted down you're allowed to re-dress yourself and take a seat in the visitor’s area.

Once inside the walls you hear the screaming and the yelling. When you walked through the gates at the entrance, they threw bottles and pamphlets at you, all the while carrying on about how "bad" the man is that you have come to see. Now as you sit alone in the cold grey room, staring through a plexi-glass window, you begin to question if this was a good idea or not. Before you have the opportunity to reconsider the heavy metal door on the other side of the room opens and there he is.

Dressed in orange, with shackles on both feet and both wrists, secured to a chain that surrounded his waist and ran down the backs of his legs. His beard was overgrown, yet his head was still bald. His eyes were bloodshot and he looks peaceful not mean and angry like he looked on the cover of the newspaper. His opening words through the small hole in the middle of the window, "I'm sorry, please forgive me." stumbling through his words, he begins to cry. "I can't bring her back to you and I know you hate me, but I need you to forgive me so I may die tonight in peace."

Well, there you have it. Based on this small picture of the situation at hand, is there any love deep enough within you to forgive this person for the crime that has been committed against a loved one of yours. We are all inherently sinful at birth. Choices we make in our lives push us down a path filled with righteousness or evil, and the several shades of grey around it. Many have discovered the narrow path provided by a single man dying on a cross to open our eyes to our sinful nature and bringing us to the point of redemption for our sins. This man, Jesus Christ, gave us the example of forgiveness and grace, and made that available to every one of us, should we accept it.

Back to the story, however heinous the crimes were, he has that same opportunity for eternal life in heaven. Whether he accepts Jesus Christ before he breaths his last is not for you to decide.  But, the opportunity is there, as difficult as it would be, to share Jesus with this man. Jesus did not come to preach to the saved, but to the unsaved. We are asked to carry that message forward and share it also with the unsaved. It's easy to share Christ with someone wearing a cross or kneeling next to you in church. Being a Christian is not an easy path though, and we are His arms, legs and voices in an evil world. Think about it my friends and act if you are able. Be blessed..

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37 Days – Relational Strife Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:23-24

January 26^th Prayer:

Father, You reconciled me to you through Jesus when there was no other way. I know You have the power to reconcile my relationship with _________________________________________. I ask You to help me. Help them. Soften our hearts . . . and our words . . . and our attitudes. I will forgive them. And I will forgive myself. Help me to release the hurt, anger and resentment of my heart as I walk freely into Your presence to worship . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Bitterness comes forth from ones lips, and once done, it is twice as bitter on the lips upon taking them back.  We have all allowed temporary emotions to drive the words and actions which often times destroy years of a loving, wonderful relationship.  Pride is often times at the root of these issues, and controlling that pride is in most cases very difficult and counter intuitive.  Looking at the examples we have in Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, he tells us to “turn the other cheek, love your enemies, go the extra mile to help your brother . . . “  Then again, you recall his words from the cross, “Father, Forgive them; they know not what they do.” He taught us to forgive, regardless of what they have done to us.

We are all given one life to live for the Lord.  Your life is no more valuable than the addict who is strung out in the middle of the alley at night.  In the eyes of God, we are all His children and His desire is for all to be reconciled to Him and with Him in eternity.  Who are we to then determine that someone is unworthy of this plan?  If you are holding a grudge against someone, it is important to take a bigger look at the situation, from the perspective of your Father’s view.  He may see the wrong, but He also sees the good that comes from each of us.  He alone is set to judge good from evil, we are ill-equipped to do so.  Our role is to love our neighbor as our Father loves them, which means swallowing one’s pride and forgiving them.

It’s hard to carry the image of Christ to the world, but this is a sure way to let them see that God is love.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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