Friday, January 31, 2014

Response to Wednesday's Blog

It is always a blessing to see people respond to an opportunity to encourage one another. After all that is one of the purposes of the body of Christ. We are to edify (build up) one another through our words, actions and responses to those particular individuals. It is also a blessing to know that people will take the time to actually reflect on what is being shared with them through the written word. We live in a time in which we are inundated with so much information and the social media has become one of the sources from which we receive some of that information. In my opinion not all of the information that social media reveals is "noteworthy" but I am thankful that we live in a nation that freedom of expression is still one of our basic human rights. But we (I) must always realize that responsibility also accompanies those freedoms that we enjoy as Americans.
 
I applaud those individuals who took the time to reflect on those friends that God has placed in their lives. I received several personal notes as well as read and heard of others who took the time to share their feelings of appreciation with someone who has been a blessing to them. I attended a funeral on yesterday in which some wonderful statements were shared regarding the deceased. Do you know what thought crossed my mind? I hoped that people had taken the time to share their feelings with the person before they passed on to their eternal reward. I am not writing this to criticize anyone but I am writing this to "stir up your pure minds by way of reminder" (NKJV). Each of us need to see the importance of encouraging one another and we also must see the need to express our sincere feelings of appreciation for that individual who has made a difference and in some cases is still making a difference in our lives. An attitude of indifference toward those important people in our lives can create a vacuum of unconcern that can lead to far more serious issues in our personal relationships. Let us be on guard and not allow the enemy to place a stumbling block between us and those that we love and appreciate.
 
Take time to call, text, email, write a note or even in some instances visit someone who God has used to make a lasting impression in your life. You will be blessed in doing so and that individual person will be uplifted through your kindness and thoughtfulness. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Personal Reflection

A few days ago I was presented with a bittersweet opportunity. I had the awesome privilege to share my condolences with the family of a retired Minister who had spent many years sharing the message of the Gospel with various communities and congregations in the state of Kentucky. I also considered this man and his family friends who have played a very important role in my life and the lives of my family. Friendship within the family of God is often overlooked as a very important aspect and asset of the family of God. We often develop these friendships and do not fully identify the depth of them until something happens that changes the dynamics of that particular relationship. I want to publicly thank all of those "special" people who have befriended me through the many years of my Christian journey. I am truly blessed and thankful that God placed these individuals in my life at the right time during my journey through life. Their individual investment in my life has made a lasting impact and I will carry their memories with me until the very end of my earthly life.
 
There is also another personal reflection that I want to make concerning this brother in Christ who entered his eternal reward a few days ago. I learned a valuable lesson as I reflected on his life and the impact that he made on me. He was a man of consistent character and integrity. He was a man that demonstrated a consistent and dedicated relationship with Christ and He treated people (and I was one of them) with respect and sincere appreciation. I shared those feelings with some of the family members as we shared memories with one another at the funeral home. I wanted his wife, his children and his grandchildren to be able to recognize that their family member had made an impact on my life. I did not purposefully set out to examine or critique this man's life; but his life of consistency did garner my attention. And over a period of time this consistency made a lasting impact on me and I have chosen to learn from his life. I want to practice a lifestyle of consistent Christianity in which people can not only hear me speak about my relationship with God but they can also see that relationship put into practice. God uses various means to teach us important truths and God uses various means to remind us of those important truths. I want to thank Arnold Harper for reminding me of the importance of a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Friday, January 24, 2014

Consistent Commitment

Luke 9:21-24, "And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (NKJV) 
 
Over the past few days I have sensed the Spirit reminding me of the need to have a heart of "consistent commitment." It is so easy to develop an attitude of serving God from a sense of convenience rather than commitment. We can also develop an attitude of serving God if it is beneficial to my life rather than serving Him because there is a strong love connection in my heart for Him. Let me explain that statement a little further.
 
I am sick and realize that only God can provide the healing that I need. I find myself more interested in the "things" of God hoping that God will forget my lack of commitment. I am in need of employment so I show up at church and ask for them to pray with me concerning my request. I hope God overlooks the fact that I have not been in church for several weeks or even months. My marriage is in trouble and I begin to encourage my wife and children of the need to "get back in church." I am desperate so I hope that God has forgotten all of those days that I was too busy or too "tired" to make my way to church.
 
Let me quickly hasten to add these words, "I believe that God is interested in your health. I believe that God is interested in your need for employment. I believe that God is interested in healing and strengthening your marriage." BUT I also believe that God is interested in the health and spiritual development of your soul and my soul. The plan of God is an eternal plan and not just a temporary plan of "fixing" you so that you can survive in this world. A relationship with God is intended to make a difference in you in the here and now and also prepare you for your eternal destiny.
 
Take a moment today and examine your level of commitment. On a scale of 1-10 where do you stand? Don't compare yourself to someone else. Take a serious look at YOUR LIFE and examine the condition of your heart and life. God loves you and He desires to work in your heart and life. Don't grow cold and indifferent but seek for your love and passion for God to be revived and strengthened!!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Obedience

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
 
It is during this "season of seeking" that I am desiring to hear the Voice of God. It is one thing to desire to go into the presence of God and it is another thing to hear what He is saying and revealing to us. This past Sunday morning the Spirit led me to call the church to a time of prayer for all of the "hurting" people who are in our communities. Some of these "hurting" people live in our own families and we are desperately wanting to help them deal with the troubling issues of their life. I have said these words to remind each of us that God does have a purpose and a plan to reach people. It is the plan which contains and reveals the Gospel message to anyone and everyone that will take the time to listen. The Gospel message is the one contained in the last command and last words that Jesus shared with His followers as He prepared to return to Heaven.
 
The Spirit of the Lord has been consistently reminding me of this challenge as I have been praying over the past few days. We must re-commit ourselves to this "call" from God and fulfill our earthly responsibilities. One of the devotionals that I read earlier this morning kindled that fire in my spirit once more. I felt the Spirit used the words that I was reading to confirm to me that we (I) must be about the "Father's business" with renewed fervor, vigor, determination and purpose. These are not the days to grow weary in well doing but we must be strong in our faith and share the Gospel message with courage and boldness.
 
Let me share a few of the words that stirred the fire in my heart this morning:
 
"Jesus' last words explain what His followers are to do in the long period between His first coming and His second coming. Jesus, in the statement known as the Great Commission, said something on that Galilean hillside before He left this world to His disciples that would make a difference for all eternity. Those words have become the blueprint for His movement. What Jesus said to His disciples that day was perhaps the most important thing He ever said to them. It was His burning passion, His singular focus, His magnificent obsession.
 
Jesus has given us, His followers, the incredible responsibility to be His representatives in the world, to carry His message of love and peace to broken humanity. As we go about our business we can do Jesus' business by telling others about Him, pointing people to the Savior, being salt and light in our world. His message becomes our message. Amazingly, Jesus allows us to share in His obsession. No higher calling or greater privilege could exist."
 


Monday, January 13, 2014

Praise

I understand that the first few weeks of this year will find many believers in a "Season of Seeking". It is during these times that we are called to turn our attention to our Savior and seek His direction for our personal as well as corporate lives. I was reminded this morning that we do not need to allow our "praise" to get lost in all of the "seeking." It is easy to become so consumed by the needs that we are facing that we fail to see what God is doing and remember what God has done. I must confess that this post today began yesterday in our service at New River. We assembled to share our worship to God but the Spirit desired to take us into a deeper presence through the power of praise and thanksgiving. We heard testimonies during the prayer time with the Worship Team. We heard testimonies during the moderator's opening welcome and remarks. We saw the evidence of prayers that have been answered as the service progressed. It was not long until we just broke out into a "praise fest." I might add that we had not planned for nor advertised this "praise fest" but the Spirit determined that it was time to "get our praise on." I must also confess that I participated and today I am still glad that I participated in offering praise and thanksgiving to God. A song is still implanted in my mind this morning; "When I think of His goodness and what He has done for me..."
 
DON'T FORGET TO PRAISE WHILE YOU ARE PRAYING!!
 
Psalm 150
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works;
    praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
    praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
    praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
    praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!              (NLT)
 
 
 
 


Thursday, January 9, 2014

January Time of Prayer

Season of Seeking: This is a term that is being used by some during the first few weeks of January as we turn our hearts toward God. Titles, phrases, or even programs don't necessarily move the heart of God. Sincere action and a humble response to the "call from God" to seek His face is what touches the heart of our Heavenly Father. There is certainly no shortage of things, situations and concerns to pray about. But I encourage you to spend some of your time in prayer focusing on your personal relationship with Christ. I am asking you to read Jeremiah 18:3-4 at some point this week. We are the clay and God is the potter. He desires to mold and shape us but are we willing to present our lives to Him? This action of surrender can only be accomplished through prayer.
 
This challenge from the writings of Adrian Rogers spoke to my heart this morning:
 
"The making of pottery is one the oldest arts known to men. A potter takes clay and molds it and squeezes it until it is soft and pliable. It is a beautiful thing to watch: a vessel of beauty or a vessel of service, or both, emerge from that ugly clay. God is the potter. We are His workmanship. God is the Master Workman, working on us. Think of yourself as the clay and see what God can do with you, for He is at work in your life. Though you may not understand it now, every turn of the wheel has been a part of God’s plan. If He does not rule, God overrules. He’s going to turn every Calvary to an Easter, every midnight to a sunrise. He is going to turn every tear to a pearl and make a diadem for you."

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Reflection & Preparation

Hebrews 10:22, " let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water." (NLT)
 
I believe that the ending of a another year and the beginning of a new year allow us an opportunity to accomplish two tasks in our lives. We are given the opportunity to reflect on and remember events of the past year that affected our lives both positively as well as negatively. But the beginning of a new year affords us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in a manner of dedication and surrender to the plan of God for our lives. But I also must understand that I need to use these opportunities wisely. I can use the past to overly criticize myself for my failures or I can also over-inflate my successes and put more emphasis on what I did rather than offering praise and adoration to God for the victories that He provided. We must be careful to handle these opportunities in such a manner that we find ourselves closer to God and not further away from God.
 
The writer to the Hebrews remind us to enter the presence of God "with sincere hearts fully trusting Him." Another translation uses the word "true" to describe the condition and temperament of our heart as we enter the presence of God. We must remember that God desires for us to draw near to Him but this drawing closer to God must take place under His plan and guidance. God's plan includes the great blessing of being able to draw near to Him through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross. I also believe that God desires for us to have fellowship with Him. I am learning that prayer becomes my opportunity to have fellowship with God. Prayer is more than just a time to unload my burdens or the needs of others on the altar to God. Prayer opens the door for me (you) to enjoy a time of sincere and open fellowship with the Father. Don't you relish those moments of pure joy with your family when everything else is set aside for a time of enjoyment with your family at your side? God does not want us to live life at a distance from Him. God has made provision for us to draw near and we need to accept that invitation without hesitation and without reservation.
 
RSVP to the 2014 invitation to draw closer to God with "a sincere heart fully trusting Him."

Friday, January 3, 2014

What Will We Do?

The post today may be classified more as an editorial rather than a devotional but for the past two days this same thought has made its appearance during my prayer and meditation time. I sincerely feel that I need to share this challenge with you and I pray that you will receive these words in the Spirit in which they are being written.
 
Many of us realize that the moral and spiritual climate of our nation is changing right before our eyes. We notice that open sin that defies the principles of God is being promoted while true and sincere righteousness is being lambasted as "out of touch" with the present standards or should I say present desires of our modern day culture. We are hearing these thoughts through all sources of the media yet in the midst of this barrage of mis-information the Voice of the Spirit is also being declared from pulpits around our nation. Many ministers of various denominations are calling for the "church" to draw closer to God and they are challenging us to allow the Word of God and the Spirit of God to perform His work in our hearts. I for one agree with this call and I am determined to seek after the heart of God as we enter this new year of 2014.
 
The following question must be answered in the correct manner if we are going to see a spiritual turn around in our nation. "What will we (I) do with the challenge and call that the Spirit is issuing?" It seems obvious to me that we have several choices that can be made. We can choose to just complain about the spiritual decline of our nation and find reasons to blame someone. We can point fingers of accusation against our politicians, our government leaders, and even the "liberal" side of the church. We can blame the local Pastor and local congregation for not "taking a stand" against all of the evil and sin that is in the world. I will stop here and let you put together your own list of reasons of why you think our nation has arrived at this point in our history.
 
I have an idea/inspiration that keeps coming into my heart. Why don't we stop thinking and talking about everybody else that we can blame and began to cry out to God for divine intervention? Why don't we stop examining and criticizing the lives of other people and take a long look in the spiritual mirror of our lives? How long has it been since we asked Jesus to give us a heart for soul winning, evangelism and outreach for a lost and hurting world? How long has it been since we closed the door of our "prayer closet" and remained in the presence of God until He began to stir a fire of holy zeal in our heart? How long has it been since we offered ourselves to God in heartfelt and sincere service to God? Oh, I can sense the Spirit rising in my heart as I type these words this morning. I do not want to criticize but I do want to challenge you today. Let's stop talking, complaining, criticizing and let's commit ourselves to the "work of the Father." I am accepting this challenge from the Spirit and I encourage you to do likewise. God has always looked for those intercessors who would look beyond the problems and challenges of their generation. These intercessors understood that it was never too late for God to take action. 

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

A Promise for 2014

Hebrews 13:5-6, “…for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
 
2014 began a few hours ago. Some people may still be trying to wake up and throw off and throw up the effects of their celebration last night. Others may have sit in quietness and solitude as they peered into the future with a mind full of question marks and a long list of the unknowns. While others may have just marked the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 with very little fanfare or celebration. It really does not matter if you chose to celebrate or if you chose not to celebrate. Not a one of us can fully know what the future holds. I have already read an article from the CNBC website describing five things that "could" go wrong in the financial markets in 2014. And it is only the first day of 2014. An old song declares, "...we may not know what tomorrow holds but we do know who holds tomorrow."
 
I choose to write about one of the promises that will be in operation for us in 2014 and I will leave the writing about what may go wrong to the other pundits and commentators. Reality says that they do not know for sure what will happen but they just make an educated guess based on history and other factors of life that they deem to be an indicator of what is going to take place in our world. But as Christians there is a factor in our lives that is often overlooked by the pundits and commentators of our society. I am referring to the "God factor." People make a grave mistake when they leave God out of the equation when it comes to looking at our lives and what is transpiring in them at any given moment.
 
The writer of Hebrews gives us hopeful insight as we enter 2014. We can count on the presence of God with us regardless of the circumstances. God is more than a fair weather friend who only shows up for the celebrations. God is more than a pessimist who shows up when we are in trouble and  declares that life is crumbling around us. God is more than just an optimist who arrives with a smile and a few cute phrases. God shows up with mercy, grace, love and kindness when we face the daily challenges and chores of life. God is the "known" factor in the midst of the unknown. God is the Light in the midst of darkness. God is the Peace who arrives in the midst of our unrest and turmoil. God is the reason that we can face 2014 with courage and boldness when we realize that we will never be alone.
 
Be blessed, encouraged and strengthened as we begin the journey of 2014!!!