May 31
In Psalm 73:28 it says, "It is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge that I may declare all His works." There is a two-pronged blessing in this short verse and it is contingent upon the declaration that the believer makes at its beginning.
We are to draw near to God and we are to declare our trust in Him. Our heavenly Father realizes that we will never trust Him from afar. We must draw near to Him if we are to realize His goodness and mercy and love and salvation. He knows that mankind is not capable of love from a distance.
When we have drawn close to Him and have seen the salvation He purchased for us at the great cost of the life of Jesus Christ, we will recognize the heart of love from which His incomparable Gift (II Corinthians 9:15) springs. With that realization the trust we place in Him comes full circle!
At that point, the fruit of the blessed Gift becomes applicable to our lives as we have found Him to be our refuge from all life's storms (Psalm 46:1). Then we will allow Him to overflow from our hearts to those around us. Then we will reach out to them with His love and salvation through Jesus, the great Gift Whom they, too, may receive and trust.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
He Thinks...
May 30
The way we view life has a significant impact upon all our life's endeavors. When we view our lot from the vantage point of negativity, disdain, despair, disillusionment, and despondency can set in and we will become frustrated by our seeming lack of success in the endeavors we undertake. That can devolve into a very negative "I" view on our part. We can begin to perceive ourselves from a very unflattering vantage point—and that is quite self-destructive.
It is statistically proven that people who have optimistic outlooks, who have a positive opinion about themselves fare better than people who have a negative point of view and the resultant negative expectations. This is affirmed also in the scripture where it says, "As a man thinks, so is he," (Proverbs 23:7). In light of this scriptural truth and its statistical verification, it behooves us to take charge of our thought life and to allow the Lord to affirm us through it.
How can those who have this proclivity toward devaluing themselves overcome it? We have instruction from the Word in this important self-improvement exercise. Of those who are born again it says, "We were buried with Him by baptism unto death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead, so we, too, have newness of life," (Romans 6:4). The implication of that verse of scripture is astounding! It tells us that our old man with all his baggage is dead! If he is indeed deceased, he no longer has control of who we are or how we think about ourselves.
Further, we who name the name that is above all others are admonished that when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, "Behold, old things are passed away, all things become new," (II Corinthians 5:17). Our "old man" has died and been buried. Our "new man" arises with the life that Jesus has given to him. That new life is glorious, it is powerful, it is victorious! When we have appropriated Jesus and all He has for us, we see ourselves as He sees us—and HE thinks we're worth dying for!
The way we view life has a significant impact upon all our life's endeavors. When we view our lot from the vantage point of negativity, disdain, despair, disillusionment, and despondency can set in and we will become frustrated by our seeming lack of success in the endeavors we undertake. That can devolve into a very negative "I" view on our part. We can begin to perceive ourselves from a very unflattering vantage point—and that is quite self-destructive.
It is statistically proven that people who have optimistic outlooks, who have a positive opinion about themselves fare better than people who have a negative point of view and the resultant negative expectations. This is affirmed also in the scripture where it says, "As a man thinks, so is he," (Proverbs 23:7). In light of this scriptural truth and its statistical verification, it behooves us to take charge of our thought life and to allow the Lord to affirm us through it.
How can those who have this proclivity toward devaluing themselves overcome it? We have instruction from the Word in this important self-improvement exercise. Of those who are born again it says, "We were buried with Him by baptism unto death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead, so we, too, have newness of life," (Romans 6:4). The implication of that verse of scripture is astounding! It tells us that our old man with all his baggage is dead! If he is indeed deceased, he no longer has control of who we are or how we think about ourselves.
Further, we who name the name that is above all others are admonished that when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, "Behold, old things are passed away, all things become new," (II Corinthians 5:17). Our "old man" has died and been buried. Our "new man" arises with the life that Jesus has given to him. That new life is glorious, it is powerful, it is victorious! When we have appropriated Jesus and all He has for us, we see ourselves as He sees us—and HE thinks we're worth dying for!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The Secret
May 29
"He will give you your heart's desire and carry out all your plans." Psalms 20:4
ASK GREAT THINGS OF GOD
Imagine your child seeing that you are cooking breakfast, and asking if you are going to allow him to eat. How would that make you feel? Would you think your child believes in the love that you have for him?
I think that God feels the same way when we have a lack of faith in His love and provision for us. God cares about every detail of our life. God does not turn a blind eye or a deaf eye to our petitions. He is there and more than willing to answer our petitions when we ask in FAITH!
How does one ask in faith? Find a scripture that covers the need we have, and then ask God to help us according to that promise. God is willing, able, and wanting to complete His word in our lives.
Then the battle begins in our mind. We ask in faith and then the devil fills our mind with all kinds of doubts and fears that beat up against us, taking our mind off the promise.
Let's say you have your vision of what you would like to do. But you don't have the money nor do you know anyone who can lend you the money. Psalms 20: 4 says "He (God) will give you your heart's desire and carry out all your plans."
What's the catch? We need to seek to do God's will first in our lives and He will add everything else. God wants us to succeed. He wants us to prosper. Why? So we can show others how great our God is and so we can bless others with what we have received from Him.
Go ahead, dream big and ask God to bless that which you desire to do to further His Kingdom on earth. -- Dr. Timothy Emerick
The Word admonishes that we, “Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.” (Galatians 6:9) We do tend to weary. We tend to invest ourselves toward the goal that we desire and when it seems our effort falls short, we become disconcerted. We wonder “Why?”
When that happens, we must remind ourselves that God does not see as we see. If we are walking in obedience to Him, our reward is in the act of obedience itself, not in the outcome that we might suppose should follow our having submitted to His authority.
Some of the Lord’s greatest rewards come in the secret place of the heart. Those are the little nooks and crannies within ourselves where we sense His presence, His peace, His approval of our efforts. We may never be among those whose accomplishments “pay off” in the world’s eyes; but we know in the depth of our being that it is in God’s eyes that we desire approval.
In Psalm 25:14 He assures, “The secret of the Lord have they who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its deep meaning.” The ‘secret’ is the tender sense of His presence that unfolds the depth of His promises to those who worship and respect Him. If we desire life’s true treasure, it is to be obtained only in our companionship with Him.
"He will give you your heart's desire and carry out all your plans." Psalms 20:4
ASK GREAT THINGS OF GOD
Imagine your child seeing that you are cooking breakfast, and asking if you are going to allow him to eat. How would that make you feel? Would you think your child believes in the love that you have for him?
I think that God feels the same way when we have a lack of faith in His love and provision for us. God cares about every detail of our life. God does not turn a blind eye or a deaf eye to our petitions. He is there and more than willing to answer our petitions when we ask in FAITH!
How does one ask in faith? Find a scripture that covers the need we have, and then ask God to help us according to that promise. God is willing, able, and wanting to complete His word in our lives.
Then the battle begins in our mind. We ask in faith and then the devil fills our mind with all kinds of doubts and fears that beat up against us, taking our mind off the promise.
Let's say you have your vision of what you would like to do. But you don't have the money nor do you know anyone who can lend you the money. Psalms 20: 4 says "He (God) will give you your heart's desire and carry out all your plans."
What's the catch? We need to seek to do God's will first in our lives and He will add everything else. God wants us to succeed. He wants us to prosper. Why? So we can show others how great our God is and so we can bless others with what we have received from Him.
Go ahead, dream big and ask God to bless that which you desire to do to further His Kingdom on earth. -- Dr. Timothy Emerick
The Word admonishes that we, “Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.” (Galatians 6:9) We do tend to weary. We tend to invest ourselves toward the goal that we desire and when it seems our effort falls short, we become disconcerted. We wonder “Why?”
When that happens, we must remind ourselves that God does not see as we see. If we are walking in obedience to Him, our reward is in the act of obedience itself, not in the outcome that we might suppose should follow our having submitted to His authority.
Some of the Lord’s greatest rewards come in the secret place of the heart. Those are the little nooks and crannies within ourselves where we sense His presence, His peace, His approval of our efforts. We may never be among those whose accomplishments “pay off” in the world’s eyes; but we know in the depth of our being that it is in God’s eyes that we desire approval.
In Psalm 25:14 He assures, “The secret of the Lord have they who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its deep meaning.” The ‘secret’ is the tender sense of His presence that unfolds the depth of His promises to those who worship and respect Him. If we desire life’s true treasure, it is to be obtained only in our companionship with Him.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Blood Bought; Justified
May 28
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Anonymous
It may be that you are weary of trying to make things right, to make things work in the situation you face every day but Jesus is the buffer between you and the circumstances that confront you. Jesus is your Strength, Jesus is your Hope, Jesus is your Defender, Jesus is the Lover of your soul in whose eyes you are completely acceptable because you—like everyone who purports to be a Christian—wear HIS robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Jesus is your Justifier. HE makes you right before God!
Not because you are perfect; not because you are unflawed; not because you are free of sin are you able to stand holy and perfect—justified before your holy and perfect Jesus—but because you are washed clean in Calvary’s flow and you wear the robe of righteousness that He has placed upon you, you stand justified before Him.
If you are perfect in Jesus’ eyes, the opinion flawed men have of you is of little consequence to you. When your accusers are looking upon you with eyes of disdain that are veiled in thinly applied courtesy or decorum, remember that their eyes are blind to their own sin and they are swallowed in smug self-satisfaction that will cause them great grief when they stand before God. Be ever mindful that the praise of God is of infinitely more value than the praise of men (John 12:43.)
So try again to convey the power of the forgiveness and the love Jesus has lavished upon you and the settled peace that comes to you because you know you are clean and righteous in HIS eyes. Try again today to reveal to those who feel justified in themselves that the only true justification they have for their sins of omission and commission lies in their placing those sins at the feet of Jesus and allowing themselves to forgive and love as the Lord does.
And if their hard hearts will not allow their blind eyes to see that truth today, try to reveal it to them again tomorrow…and the next day after that...and the next…and the next. Why? Because their souls are in the balance. The hardness of their hearts, their self-righteousness may cause you distress in time, but they are robbing them of eternity. The Word is clear: no man can be forgiven if he does not forgive (John 20:23).
So, be the Lord’s blood-bathed, justified, beloved child before your enemies and persecutors today and for all your tomorrows, because first, that is WHO you are and second because that is what your accusers must finally come to recognize if they are to ever be blood-bought and justified.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Anonymous
It may be that you are weary of trying to make things right, to make things work in the situation you face every day but Jesus is the buffer between you and the circumstances that confront you. Jesus is your Strength, Jesus is your Hope, Jesus is your Defender, Jesus is the Lover of your soul in whose eyes you are completely acceptable because you—like everyone who purports to be a Christian—wear HIS robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Jesus is your Justifier. HE makes you right before God!
Not because you are perfect; not because you are unflawed; not because you are free of sin are you able to stand holy and perfect—justified before your holy and perfect Jesus—but because you are washed clean in Calvary’s flow and you wear the robe of righteousness that He has placed upon you, you stand justified before Him.
If you are perfect in Jesus’ eyes, the opinion flawed men have of you is of little consequence to you. When your accusers are looking upon you with eyes of disdain that are veiled in thinly applied courtesy or decorum, remember that their eyes are blind to their own sin and they are swallowed in smug self-satisfaction that will cause them great grief when they stand before God. Be ever mindful that the praise of God is of infinitely more value than the praise of men (John 12:43.)
So try again to convey the power of the forgiveness and the love Jesus has lavished upon you and the settled peace that comes to you because you know you are clean and righteous in HIS eyes. Try again today to reveal to those who feel justified in themselves that the only true justification they have for their sins of omission and commission lies in their placing those sins at the feet of Jesus and allowing themselves to forgive and love as the Lord does.
And if their hard hearts will not allow their blind eyes to see that truth today, try to reveal it to them again tomorrow…and the next day after that...and the next…and the next. Why? Because their souls are in the balance. The hardness of their hearts, their self-righteousness may cause you distress in time, but they are robbing them of eternity. The Word is clear: no man can be forgiven if he does not forgive (John 20:23).
So, be the Lord’s blood-bathed, justified, beloved child before your enemies and persecutors today and for all your tomorrows, because first, that is WHO you are and second because that is what your accusers must finally come to recognize if they are to ever be blood-bought and justified.
Monday, May 27, 2013
FDR's Word to the Military
January 25, 1941
To the Armed Forces:
As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
To the Armed Forces:
As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Memorial Day
This Monday, May 27, 2013, is being celebrated as Memorial Day.
The holiday was originally called, 'Decoration Day,' for it was used primarily for the placing of flowers and flags upon the graves of those who had fallen in the nation's battles. The observance that began in the state of Illinois in the late 1800s has become national.
May everyone who cherishes freedom take the time to extend thanks to the veteran who has served, to the military who are serving and to the Lord who has used their sacrifices to maintain our liberties.
May we bow before His throne in sincere gratitude for the lives that have been given for our freedom. As the saying goes, "Jesus has died for our eternal freedom, and the soldier has sacrificed himself for our political freedom."
Today is a day to celebrate freedom--the great gift we've been given.
The holiday was originally called, 'Decoration Day,' for it was used primarily for the placing of flowers and flags upon the graves of those who had fallen in the nation's battles. The observance that began in the state of Illinois in the late 1800s has become national.
May everyone who cherishes freedom take the time to extend thanks to the veteran who has served, to the military who are serving and to the Lord who has used their sacrifices to maintain our liberties.
May we bow before His throne in sincere gratitude for the lives that have been given for our freedom. As the saying goes, "Jesus has died for our eternal freedom, and the soldier has sacrificed himself for our political freedom."
Today is a day to celebrate freedom--the great gift we've been given.
Useaful Resources
May 27
Be kind to those you meet because everyone is going through something. Anonymous
There is a reason the Bible refers to the location of this entity we call life as a 'Vale of Tears.' The time we spend traversing from birth until the Lord calls us home is fraught with trials. Each person's trial may be unique to himself, and it may appear to be more or less than those borne by others, but to the one who carries it, it is a weight of care that overburdens him with more than he can handle alone.
What are we to do when confronted with life's woe that is our portion? The Word tells us that we needn't carry it ourselves; it invites us to, "Cast all your care upon Jesus, for He cares for you," I Peter 5:7. Once we have done that, once our own burden has been lifted by His loving hand, we can extend a hand of help to those around us as we are admonished to do in Galatians 6:2.
The primary thing we have to share with them is the Source of our help. We can affirm to them the ways the Christ we love and serve has lifted our burden and eased its weight from our shoulders. Though we may yet bear a portion of it, we no longer have the entirety of it to carry alone. Others who are weary and heavy laden need to know Jesus is the Burden Bearer who will give them rest (Matthew 11:28).
Our help is further made effectual through the kindness and understanding we extend to people who are groping with trouble they cannot handle alone. Although the Lord's help is real, sometimes the souls in our midst require a human hand to reach out to them; they yearn for a human ear to hear their lament; they desire a human voice to console them. Because we have known trial, we understand and can fulfill their need.
Because we have known trial, we can be that hand that lifts their burden, be that ear that hears their weeping, be that voice that offers them sweet consolation. Our Lord does not waste His resources—we, His people, are His resources. It is His desire to use us to help others. Through our own ordeals, we become compassionate and understanding. Jesus desires that each of us becomes like Him, and evidences His kind heart.
Be kind to those you meet because everyone is going through something. Anonymous
There is a reason the Bible refers to the location of this entity we call life as a 'Vale of Tears.' The time we spend traversing from birth until the Lord calls us home is fraught with trials. Each person's trial may be unique to himself, and it may appear to be more or less than those borne by others, but to the one who carries it, it is a weight of care that overburdens him with more than he can handle alone.
What are we to do when confronted with life's woe that is our portion? The Word tells us that we needn't carry it ourselves; it invites us to, "Cast all your care upon Jesus, for He cares for you," I Peter 5:7. Once we have done that, once our own burden has been lifted by His loving hand, we can extend a hand of help to those around us as we are admonished to do in Galatians 6:2.
The primary thing we have to share with them is the Source of our help. We can affirm to them the ways the Christ we love and serve has lifted our burden and eased its weight from our shoulders. Though we may yet bear a portion of it, we no longer have the entirety of it to carry alone. Others who are weary and heavy laden need to know Jesus is the Burden Bearer who will give them rest (Matthew 11:28).
Our help is further made effectual through the kindness and understanding we extend to people who are groping with trouble they cannot handle alone. Although the Lord's help is real, sometimes the souls in our midst require a human hand to reach out to them; they yearn for a human ear to hear their lament; they desire a human voice to console them. Because we have known trial, we understand and can fulfill their need.
Because we have known trial, we can be that hand that lifts their burden, be that ear that hears their weeping, be that voice that offers them sweet consolation. Our Lord does not waste His resources—we, His people, are His resources. It is His desire to use us to help others. Through our own ordeals, we become compassionate and understanding. Jesus desires that each of us becomes like Him, and evidences His kind heart.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Walk in Jesus
May 26
Who do men say that I am? Who do you say that I am? Jesus
The bottom line of Jesus' question to Peter (Mark 8:29) is that it matters very little who others perceive Him to be. What matters to each of us is who we (I, you) perceive Him to be. Faith in the Lord is a very individual, very personal matter. Until I, until you, own Him as Savior and Lord, He can be nothing more than an interesting historical figure to us. It is when we recognize Him as God and Savior and claim Him as my/your God and Savior that His impact on our lives takes great effect.
I think there is another point He would have us to ask ourselves, changing the wording just a bit. He wants us to settle the question within ourselves, "Who do men say that you are? Who do you say that you are?" Just as it is irrelevant who others believe Jesus to be, so it is irrelevant who others believe you to be. The only one whose perception of you is important is your own! Who you are is established within your own perception of yourself.
No matter who others think you to be, it is your belief in who you are that will govern your life. Your choices, your actions, your hopes, your expectations, your outcomes will be determined by who you believe yourself to be. That is why you must allow yourself to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). That is why you must appropriate to yourself the wondrous joy of owning yourself to be a beloved child of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The reality of who you really are exceeds anything men think about you, for as Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Equipped with the assurance of who you are in Christ, you may go forward into each day in the confident expectation that your Jesus is with you. You may go into each encounter with each individual you meet with the knowledge that you project not just yourself to that person but divine royalty. When a person faces you, he is face-to-face with an esteemed child of the Lord of Heaven and Earth! Hold you head up high! Carry yourself with the dignity of royalty because that is who you are!
You are loved by Jesus! You are His unique treasure. When you answer the question, "Who do I say that I am?" answer it as HE answers it—"You are My own beloved, you are My precious one, redeemed by My sacrifice of love for you. You are Heaven's treasure. You are My blood-bought child." Walk in the dignity, in the joy, in the truth, in the power in the love of the One who wraps you in Himself, in the majesty of the One who guards and guides and loves you—walk in JESUS!
Who do men say that I am? Who do you say that I am? Jesus
The bottom line of Jesus' question to Peter (Mark 8:29) is that it matters very little who others perceive Him to be. What matters to each of us is who we (I, you) perceive Him to be. Faith in the Lord is a very individual, very personal matter. Until I, until you, own Him as Savior and Lord, He can be nothing more than an interesting historical figure to us. It is when we recognize Him as God and Savior and claim Him as my/your God and Savior that His impact on our lives takes great effect.
I think there is another point He would have us to ask ourselves, changing the wording just a bit. He wants us to settle the question within ourselves, "Who do men say that you are? Who do you say that you are?" Just as it is irrelevant who others believe Jesus to be, so it is irrelevant who others believe you to be. The only one whose perception of you is important is your own! Who you are is established within your own perception of yourself.
No matter who others think you to be, it is your belief in who you are that will govern your life. Your choices, your actions, your hopes, your expectations, your outcomes will be determined by who you believe yourself to be. That is why you must allow yourself to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). That is why you must appropriate to yourself the wondrous joy of owning yourself to be a beloved child of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The reality of who you really are exceeds anything men think about you, for as Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Equipped with the assurance of who you are in Christ, you may go forward into each day in the confident expectation that your Jesus is with you. You may go into each encounter with each individual you meet with the knowledge that you project not just yourself to that person but divine royalty. When a person faces you, he is face-to-face with an esteemed child of the Lord of Heaven and Earth! Hold you head up high! Carry yourself with the dignity of royalty because that is who you are!
You are loved by Jesus! You are His unique treasure. When you answer the question, "Who do I say that I am?" answer it as HE answers it—"You are My own beloved, you are My precious one, redeemed by My sacrifice of love for you. You are Heaven's treasure. You are My blood-bought child." Walk in the dignity, in the joy, in the truth, in the power in the love of the One who wraps you in Himself, in the majesty of the One who guards and guides and loves you—walk in JESUS!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
His Absent-mindedness
May 25
Do not forget small kindnesses and do not remember small faults. Chinese Proverb
This advice is not always easy to take. It's so much easier to keep track of faults than it is to be mindful of small kindnesses. Yet the Lord would have us to do just that. His Word reminds us that we are to forgive one another as He has forgiven us, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do," Luke 23:34. Indeed, the act of forgiving is the act of releasing the memory of offense according to Micah 7:19, which says, "You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."
Perhaps Jesus has allowed you to be in a situation where there are numerous people around you who have been inconsiderate and accusatory and unloving, but He loves them and it is His desire to love them through you. It is His desire to forgive them for all offense and to forgive them through you. Your decision in the matter is to cooperate with Him or to withhold love and forgiveness. Your decision in the matter impacts you more than it does them.
Remembering little kindnesses is as elusive as forgiving small (and large) offenses. In an ultimate sense it may not matter whether you can or can't remember a gesture of a day, but it will bless your heart to be mindful of the intent. It will bless your heart to see through the offense as though it weren't there and to focus on the kindness as though it were of paramount importance.
Your doing so may matter to no one but you, in fact, your doing so will be of utmost advantage to you because this decision on your part will release you from bondage to anything negative and set you free to embrace all the good that is set before you. Your decision to be Christ-like in your perception of the people around you will empower you to see as He sees and to feel as He feels. This will be your amazing strength in getting through each day in peace and in strength.
Jesus loves you and He desires peace and strength for you—every day throughout a blessed lifetime of doing all things well, of doing all things God's way. His way, as the Chinese proverb suggests, is to focus on the good in everyone you know and to put all unkindness into His Sea of Forgetfulness.
Do not forget small kindnesses and do not remember small faults. Chinese Proverb
This advice is not always easy to take. It's so much easier to keep track of faults than it is to be mindful of small kindnesses. Yet the Lord would have us to do just that. His Word reminds us that we are to forgive one another as He has forgiven us, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do," Luke 23:34. Indeed, the act of forgiving is the act of releasing the memory of offense according to Micah 7:19, which says, "You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."
Perhaps Jesus has allowed you to be in a situation where there are numerous people around you who have been inconsiderate and accusatory and unloving, but He loves them and it is His desire to love them through you. It is His desire to forgive them for all offense and to forgive them through you. Your decision in the matter is to cooperate with Him or to withhold love and forgiveness. Your decision in the matter impacts you more than it does them.
Remembering little kindnesses is as elusive as forgiving small (and large) offenses. In an ultimate sense it may not matter whether you can or can't remember a gesture of a day, but it will bless your heart to be mindful of the intent. It will bless your heart to see through the offense as though it weren't there and to focus on the kindness as though it were of paramount importance.
Your doing so may matter to no one but you, in fact, your doing so will be of utmost advantage to you because this decision on your part will release you from bondage to anything negative and set you free to embrace all the good that is set before you. Your decision to be Christ-like in your perception of the people around you will empower you to see as He sees and to feel as He feels. This will be your amazing strength in getting through each day in peace and in strength.
Jesus loves you and He desires peace and strength for you—every day throughout a blessed lifetime of doing all things well, of doing all things God's way. His way, as the Chinese proverb suggests, is to focus on the good in everyone you know and to put all unkindness into His Sea of Forgetfulness.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Our Skewed Opinions
May 24
Let us believe neither half of the good people tell us of ourselves, nor half of the evil they say of others. J. Petit Senn
If Senn even begins to approximate the veracity of the words people speak regarding our observations of ourselves or others, our opinions are of little value. We certainly shouldn't base our selection of friends upon what we hear about them and we definitely shouldn't base our estimation of ourselves upon the regard or lack there-of we hear expressed.
It is certain that we care very much about how we are perceived by others; we want to know how they esteem us. We make it our business to find out their thoughts regarding us. We hear it from them directly at times; we certainly attend to second-hand information about us as told by third parties. We even have official means of assessing our worth, such as 'performance evaluations' from employers, but by no means should we build our self-esteem upon any of them.
There is just One Whose thoughts regarding us should be of value to us, and that One is Jesus. Of Him we are told--by the Word of God that is true and unshakable--that He loves us. We are told that for our sakes He left the realm of glory in which He dwelt eternally with the Father in order that He might give us the free gift of eternal salvation, Philippians 2:6.
The One who spoke and the worlds were formed allowed Himself to become one of us so all of us who would receive His free gift might become heirs of salvation. In II Corinthians 8:9 we are told, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
This one act, established from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), speaks volumes to us of who men are and of who we are. This one fact of time anchors us to a marvelous hope that transcends time and encompasses eternity. This one transformative reality establishes who people are--who we are, who I am, who you are—forever! It is settled in the heart of God, therefore it is a reality that is unshakable. Man—me, us, you, all of us—are heirs with Christ of an everlasting reign (II Timothy 2:12) that cannot be undone by anyone's opinion but our own!
What people think of us is of no consequence to us because men are liars who are not only endeavoring to deceive us about who we are but are self-deceived about who they are. It is not until we grasp who we are in Christ that we see people, life, time, self as we really are. Until we see as He sees, we actually see nothing and know nothing, for all we think we see and all we think we know is skewed by our distorted perception. When we see with His eyes, we see all things—including ourselves—in truth.
And that truth reveals to us that we are worthy in the eyes of God of the most valuable sacrifice that has ever been made—the life of Jesus, given in exchange for our lives. If HE thinks we are worth that, shouldn't we allow ourselves to esteem our brothers and ourselves highly? Shouldn't we allow ourselves to hold in high regard, those for whom Jesus laid down His life? The answer is obvious—yes, we must!
And if HE LOVES US, shouldn't we love ourselves and allow our perception of ourselves to rise to meet His own? Yes, we, should!
Let us believe neither half of the good people tell us of ourselves, nor half of the evil they say of others. J. Petit Senn
If Senn even begins to approximate the veracity of the words people speak regarding our observations of ourselves or others, our opinions are of little value. We certainly shouldn't base our selection of friends upon what we hear about them and we definitely shouldn't base our estimation of ourselves upon the regard or lack there-of we hear expressed.
It is certain that we care very much about how we are perceived by others; we want to know how they esteem us. We make it our business to find out their thoughts regarding us. We hear it from them directly at times; we certainly attend to second-hand information about us as told by third parties. We even have official means of assessing our worth, such as 'performance evaluations' from employers, but by no means should we build our self-esteem upon any of them.
There is just One Whose thoughts regarding us should be of value to us, and that One is Jesus. Of Him we are told--by the Word of God that is true and unshakable--that He loves us. We are told that for our sakes He left the realm of glory in which He dwelt eternally with the Father in order that He might give us the free gift of eternal salvation, Philippians 2:6.
The One who spoke and the worlds were formed allowed Himself to become one of us so all of us who would receive His free gift might become heirs of salvation. In II Corinthians 8:9 we are told, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
This one act, established from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), speaks volumes to us of who men are and of who we are. This one fact of time anchors us to a marvelous hope that transcends time and encompasses eternity. This one transformative reality establishes who people are--who we are, who I am, who you are—forever! It is settled in the heart of God, therefore it is a reality that is unshakable. Man—me, us, you, all of us—are heirs with Christ of an everlasting reign (II Timothy 2:12) that cannot be undone by anyone's opinion but our own!
What people think of us is of no consequence to us because men are liars who are not only endeavoring to deceive us about who we are but are self-deceived about who they are. It is not until we grasp who we are in Christ that we see people, life, time, self as we really are. Until we see as He sees, we actually see nothing and know nothing, for all we think we see and all we think we know is skewed by our distorted perception. When we see with His eyes, we see all things—including ourselves—in truth.
And that truth reveals to us that we are worthy in the eyes of God of the most valuable sacrifice that has ever been made—the life of Jesus, given in exchange for our lives. If HE thinks we are worth that, shouldn't we allow ourselves to esteem our brothers and ourselves highly? Shouldn't we allow ourselves to hold in high regard, those for whom Jesus laid down His life? The answer is obvious—yes, we must!
And if HE LOVES US, shouldn't we love ourselves and allow our perception of ourselves to rise to meet His own? Yes, we, should!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Even Life's Storms Reflect His Glory
May 23
Here in the United States, we're grieving with our brothers and sisters in the Oklahoma City region, which was hit (on May 20, 2013) by a massive tornado system with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour, killing at least 24 people and leaving thousands homeless. Please join me in prayer for everyone affected. Mike Huckabee
"As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again." Psalm 71:14-24
This precious scripture reminds me of another beautiful word from the Word, the psalm that says, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning," Psalm 30:5. Then, of course there is the amazing promise, "In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world," John 16:33.
We live in a fallen world and things go wrong. In our own lives, our foibles and sins take a toll on how life goes for us and even nature goes completely haywire when events like this horrible tornado occur. The outcomes of the problems we face range from minimal discomfiture to maximum ordeal, but through it all, we have hope--because we have His promise.
The trial we face may cause us to weep, but it has a time when He will speak to our weeping as He spoke to the storm, "Peace, be still," (Mark 4:39). The peace He gives can indeed calm the storm--or it can calm us in the midst of the storm. It can be His "peace that passes understanding," Philippians 4:7, that will keep our heart and our mind in Christ Jesus," in spite of the storm.
As the beautiful song by Matt Redmond assures us:
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back, I know You are near
And I will fear no evil For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let go through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go! Lord, You never let go of me.
I love you and I trust the Lord Jesus to be with you through every experience of life--and I trust Him to speak to every storm that confronts you, "Peace, be still," as He causes your life to be a reflection of His glory, power, peace, and love.
Here in the United States, we're grieving with our brothers and sisters in the Oklahoma City region, which was hit (on May 20, 2013) by a massive tornado system with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour, killing at least 24 people and leaving thousands homeless. Please join me in prayer for everyone affected. Mike Huckabee
"As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again." Psalm 71:14-24
This precious scripture reminds me of another beautiful word from the Word, the psalm that says, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning," Psalm 30:5. Then, of course there is the amazing promise, "In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world," John 16:33.
We live in a fallen world and things go wrong. In our own lives, our foibles and sins take a toll on how life goes for us and even nature goes completely haywire when events like this horrible tornado occur. The outcomes of the problems we face range from minimal discomfiture to maximum ordeal, but through it all, we have hope--because we have His promise.
The trial we face may cause us to weep, but it has a time when He will speak to our weeping as He spoke to the storm, "Peace, be still," (Mark 4:39). The peace He gives can indeed calm the storm--or it can calm us in the midst of the storm. It can be His "peace that passes understanding," Philippians 4:7, that will keep our heart and our mind in Christ Jesus," in spite of the storm.
As the beautiful song by Matt Redmond assures us:
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back, I know You are near
And I will fear no evil For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let go through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go! Lord, You never let go of me.
I love you and I trust the Lord Jesus to be with you through every experience of life--and I trust Him to speak to every storm that confronts you, "Peace, be still," as He causes your life to be a reflection of His glory, power, peace, and love.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Love Is Everything
May 22
"Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love." 2 Peter 1:5-7
LOVE IS EVERYTHING
Life is for learning love, not for sensual pleasure or for accumulating riches or fame; not for building great manufacturing, commercial, or military empires or political power. It is not for exploration, travel or conquest of outer space. It is not for learning science, history, economics, philosophy or even theology; not for delivering great orations, preaching great sermons or holding immense religious campaigns, not for the building of great institutions, such as hospitals, churches, schools, and colleges; not for publishing books, magazines or other periodicals. All of these are of value only as they grow out of or contribute to the learning or expression of God's love. -- Paul Billhiemer
Today's good word puts me in the mind of the words of the Lord when He said, "And they will come to Me saying, 'Didn't I do miracles in Your name, didn't I cast out demons in Your name, didn't I witness to the lost in Your name? And I will say to them, 'Get thee from Me; I never knew you,'" Matthew 7:22. How sure we are of our right standing with the Lord, yet we have missed His whole point—of doing all things out of our deep devotion to Him.
Nothing else counts. We can spend ourselves in the behalf of every good cause that crosses our awareness, but though we give them everything we have—our energy, our research, our treasure, our heartfelt concern—we are wasting our resources if we are doing it for ourselves, for our aggrandizement and acclaim before men rather than "as unto the Lord," Colossians 3:23. May the Holy One see our hearts and help us to see them so we can conform what resides in the deep place of our self-hood to His holiness.
It is my fervent prayer that all that you do and all that you are reflect and glorify the Christ whom you love. May His presence and power in you enable everything about you to shout "Halleluiah" to His holy name.
"Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love." 2 Peter 1:5-7
LOVE IS EVERYTHING
Life is for learning love, not for sensual pleasure or for accumulating riches or fame; not for building great manufacturing, commercial, or military empires or political power. It is not for exploration, travel or conquest of outer space. It is not for learning science, history, economics, philosophy or even theology; not for delivering great orations, preaching great sermons or holding immense religious campaigns, not for the building of great institutions, such as hospitals, churches, schools, and colleges; not for publishing books, magazines or other periodicals. All of these are of value only as they grow out of or contribute to the learning or expression of God's love. -- Paul Billhiemer
Today's good word puts me in the mind of the words of the Lord when He said, "And they will come to Me saying, 'Didn't I do miracles in Your name, didn't I cast out demons in Your name, didn't I witness to the lost in Your name? And I will say to them, 'Get thee from Me; I never knew you,'" Matthew 7:22. How sure we are of our right standing with the Lord, yet we have missed His whole point—of doing all things out of our deep devotion to Him.
Nothing else counts. We can spend ourselves in the behalf of every good cause that crosses our awareness, but though we give them everything we have—our energy, our research, our treasure, our heartfelt concern—we are wasting our resources if we are doing it for ourselves, for our aggrandizement and acclaim before men rather than "as unto the Lord," Colossians 3:23. May the Holy One see our hearts and help us to see them so we can conform what resides in the deep place of our self-hood to His holiness.
It is my fervent prayer that all that you do and all that you are reflect and glorify the Christ whom you love. May His presence and power in you enable everything about you to shout "Halleluiah" to His holy name.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Child of Thought
May 21
Experience is the child of thought... Benjamin Disraeli
The truth spoken here by the great British Prime Minister, who happened to be born Jewish but was a practicing Anglican, is directly from the Bible which says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he," Proverbs 23:7. It is irrefutably true that the thoughts we indulge will indeed shape our actions and greatly influence our experiences. With that in mind, we must resolve to think thoughts that challenge and up-lift, that encourage and inspire us.
Disraeli said many amazing things! Here are a few:
A precedent embalms a principle...This is profoundly true in most people. In having once experienced a certain outcome from a certain action, they are forever bound to anticipate it from future similar actions. Indeed, they are virtually powerless to alter the outcome once they are impacted by it. This can be for good or for ill, depending upon their original experience. For that reason, we must be sure we do not imprison ourselves within our prior experience but allow the Lord to change our thoughts and allow our improved perspective to assure us an improved result if former outcomes were less than desirable.
As a general rule the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information...Disraeli was an early proponent of education. He knew the society in which the individual was allowed to thrive, to reach his fullest potential, was the one that would excel beyond all others. He understood that "to govern men, you must either excel them in their accomplishments, or despise them," and that a people was best advantaged who had the opportunity of being well-educated.
Bore: one who has the power of speech but not the capacity for conversation...His definition here resonates because so much of what we see on TV and hear among friends and acquaintances in their conversations is well-articulated but totally unworthy of discussion. Who would bother to repeat the premise of a popular television program? News was made recently because a young star of a TV sitcom blasted his show as being 'filth.' Much of what we see and hear can be thusly categorized because we have become undiscriminating as a society. The old saying, 'garbage in/garbage out' applies to us. To separate ourselves from much that is popular within the culture is to our great advantage.
Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them...Disraeli speaks here of two very basic practices, but they are by no means alone in their importance or in the fact that left to ourselves we fall short of them. It takes diligent effort to maintain cleanliness and order and we are often too preoccupied with the busy-ness of our day-to-day activities to invest much time into achieving or maintaining them, so our lives become cluttered and the outcome to which we relegate ourselves is the thought child of a lesser experience.
May this day be one of thinking thoughts that spring from "the mind of Christ" that you have within you (I Corinthians 2:16) so the outcome of all your thinking may glorify Jesus, the One whose love sets you free from every negative thing that's ever happened to you and from every negative word that's ever been spoken to you.
May your mind be so surrendered to His today that you will be established on the path along which He desires to lead you; where you will have complete and fulfilling fellowship with Him and where the sweetness of each moment, each hour, each day, each year, each decade of your long, healthy, happy lifetime will be established in Jesus whose love for you overcomes the lack of any other love, and whose delight in you is complete.
Experience is the child of thought... Benjamin Disraeli
The truth spoken here by the great British Prime Minister, who happened to be born Jewish but was a practicing Anglican, is directly from the Bible which says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he," Proverbs 23:7. It is irrefutably true that the thoughts we indulge will indeed shape our actions and greatly influence our experiences. With that in mind, we must resolve to think thoughts that challenge and up-lift, that encourage and inspire us.
Disraeli said many amazing things! Here are a few:
A precedent embalms a principle...This is profoundly true in most people. In having once experienced a certain outcome from a certain action, they are forever bound to anticipate it from future similar actions. Indeed, they are virtually powerless to alter the outcome once they are impacted by it. This can be for good or for ill, depending upon their original experience. For that reason, we must be sure we do not imprison ourselves within our prior experience but allow the Lord to change our thoughts and allow our improved perspective to assure us an improved result if former outcomes were less than desirable.
As a general rule the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information...Disraeli was an early proponent of education. He knew the society in which the individual was allowed to thrive, to reach his fullest potential, was the one that would excel beyond all others. He understood that "to govern men, you must either excel them in their accomplishments, or despise them," and that a people was best advantaged who had the opportunity of being well-educated.
Bore: one who has the power of speech but not the capacity for conversation...His definition here resonates because so much of what we see on TV and hear among friends and acquaintances in their conversations is well-articulated but totally unworthy of discussion. Who would bother to repeat the premise of a popular television program? News was made recently because a young star of a TV sitcom blasted his show as being 'filth.' Much of what we see and hear can be thusly categorized because we have become undiscriminating as a society. The old saying, 'garbage in/garbage out' applies to us. To separate ourselves from much that is popular within the culture is to our great advantage.
Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them...Disraeli speaks here of two very basic practices, but they are by no means alone in their importance or in the fact that left to ourselves we fall short of them. It takes diligent effort to maintain cleanliness and order and we are often too preoccupied with the busy-ness of our day-to-day activities to invest much time into achieving or maintaining them, so our lives become cluttered and the outcome to which we relegate ourselves is the thought child of a lesser experience.
May this day be one of thinking thoughts that spring from "the mind of Christ" that you have within you (I Corinthians 2:16) so the outcome of all your thinking may glorify Jesus, the One whose love sets you free from every negative thing that's ever happened to you and from every negative word that's ever been spoken to you.
May your mind be so surrendered to His today that you will be established on the path along which He desires to lead you; where you will have complete and fulfilling fellowship with Him and where the sweetness of each moment, each hour, each day, each year, each decade of your long, healthy, happy lifetime will be established in Jesus whose love for you overcomes the lack of any other love, and whose delight in you is complete.
Monday, May 20, 2013
From Ordinary To Sublime
May 20
Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden
Barring some extraordinary event of ill or of good, today will be an 'ordinary' day. We sometimes lament the sameness of the days that unfold into the weeks and months and years of our lives, but if the truth be told, that sameness is the haven in which we take our refuge from the challenging events that occasionally intrude themselves into the calm ordinary-ness of our day-to-day responsibilities. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we are glad the days unfold with sameness, for that sameness is our comfort zone.
Because our 'today' will be quite similar to our 'yesterday,' we will be afforded a great luxury within it. Because it will need little beyond the time and energy and thought we invested yesterday, we will have the great opportunity to work something extraordinarily lovely for today. Because we won't be required to manage some monumental event or to solve an extremely perplexing challenge, we will have the time to mold and shape this ordinary day into something lovely for those who are important to us.
It will be those lovely things that we do or say or enjoy in the company of our precious ones that will enrich their lives and our own. We will share with them of the good things of Philippians 4:8, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
I pray the Lord gives you eyes to see the opportunities He grants to you in which you may invest the truth, the joy, the faith, the love within you into your ordinary moments in order that you may experience within them the wonder and delight of common things that overflow with extraordinary delight. I pray the Lord gives you such confidence in the love Jesus has for you that you will be able to see His hand of blessing extended toward you in every circumstance you face today so the challenges will seem mere potholes to be averted with a slight change of direction, and the blessings will be great havens of joy in the Lord your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
I pray you see Jesus as the One who carries your real burdens so they cannot weigh you down and as the One who lifts the ordinary baggage of your journey as you traverse through every moment of all your tomorrows with your hand in His (I Peter 5:7). I pray He gives you the joy that enables you to smile, to laugh, to rejoice in every situation for you know His Word is true, that indeed, "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose," Romans 8:28.
In that knowledge may you see the ordinary transformed to lavish blessings—today, tomorrow and forever--even until the trumpet sounds and Jesus splits the eastern sky as we are told in Acts 1:11, "...this same Jesus who is taken up into heaven, will come again in like manner as you have seen Him go." Oh, how that ordinary day will be extraordinarily transformed!
Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden
Barring some extraordinary event of ill or of good, today will be an 'ordinary' day. We sometimes lament the sameness of the days that unfold into the weeks and months and years of our lives, but if the truth be told, that sameness is the haven in which we take our refuge from the challenging events that occasionally intrude themselves into the calm ordinary-ness of our day-to-day responsibilities. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we are glad the days unfold with sameness, for that sameness is our comfort zone.
Because our 'today' will be quite similar to our 'yesterday,' we will be afforded a great luxury within it. Because it will need little beyond the time and energy and thought we invested yesterday, we will have the great opportunity to work something extraordinarily lovely for today. Because we won't be required to manage some monumental event or to solve an extremely perplexing challenge, we will have the time to mold and shape this ordinary day into something lovely for those who are important to us.
It will be those lovely things that we do or say or enjoy in the company of our precious ones that will enrich their lives and our own. We will share with them of the good things of Philippians 4:8, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
I pray the Lord gives you eyes to see the opportunities He grants to you in which you may invest the truth, the joy, the faith, the love within you into your ordinary moments in order that you may experience within them the wonder and delight of common things that overflow with extraordinary delight. I pray the Lord gives you such confidence in the love Jesus has for you that you will be able to see His hand of blessing extended toward you in every circumstance you face today so the challenges will seem mere potholes to be averted with a slight change of direction, and the blessings will be great havens of joy in the Lord your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
I pray you see Jesus as the One who carries your real burdens so they cannot weigh you down and as the One who lifts the ordinary baggage of your journey as you traverse through every moment of all your tomorrows with your hand in His (I Peter 5:7). I pray He gives you the joy that enables you to smile, to laugh, to rejoice in every situation for you know His Word is true, that indeed, "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose," Romans 8:28.
In that knowledge may you see the ordinary transformed to lavish blessings—today, tomorrow and forever--even until the trumpet sounds and Jesus splits the eastern sky as we are told in Acts 1:11, "...this same Jesus who is taken up into heaven, will come again in like manner as you have seen Him go." Oh, how that ordinary day will be extraordinarily transformed!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Who Knows?
May 19
Let thy words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2
There's a good laugh for you--your blogger, overflowing with words, stating a scripture that counsels us to use words minimally. I'm chuckling myself.
There is a reality about words—they cannot be retracted. Once they're spoken they are forever 'out there' somewhere—in a heart, in a mind, in a life—sometimes doing incalculable good, for the LIVING WORD, GOD, cannot fail and cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18) tells us that a word fitly spoken is like "apples of gold," Proverbs 25:11. Something to refresh and to bless. Those aren't the words we should be spare in extending, for the Lord would always have us to be lifting and blessing others with our words--and especially, with HIS WORD!
It's with words of criticism, accusation, fault-finding, discouragement—those negative barbs that, even as we say them, we know they are meant to undermine and to hurt the one to whom they're being spoken, (Psalm 19:14)--that we should be quite spare in speaking them. Wisdom counsels us against using such missiles, even against our enemies. Though the other person may say things that will be regretted later, let us hold our tongue and seal our lips against unkindness.
It is far better to remain silent in the heat of a disagreement than to utter disparaging words, for those words never help anything. They are tools of demolition—as wrecking balls destroy a building, so ill-thought-out words wreck the opportunity to improve our circumstances. Instead of retaliating with words that wound—even if such words have been hurled at us—let us respond with words that uplift, that encourage, that build, that HONOR CHRIST, for HE would never allow negative words to cross His lips.
When He spoke to thieves, to prostitutes, to a man who assented to murder (Saul, who became Paul), His words were of encouragement and forgiveness. Like Him, we must allow kindness to prevail in all our speech. If we have negative words to say, let them be reserved only for those who distort and twist the truth of God—and even as we speak them, let their intent, as were Christ's when He spoke to Paul (Acts 9:4) be to open blind eyes and to soften hard hearts.
In every situation that we face, may we allow JESUS to use us to do a work in the hearts and minds and spirits of those with whom we commune. Let our words be few—and let those words we do speak be to HIS GLORY. Who knows but that perhaps through our allowing the Lord to manifest His kindness and love through us, a soul will be turned from darkness to light, from error to truth, from self-righteousness to Christ's wondrous righteousness. Who knows!
Let thy words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2
There's a good laugh for you--your blogger, overflowing with words, stating a scripture that counsels us to use words minimally. I'm chuckling myself.
There is a reality about words—they cannot be retracted. Once they're spoken they are forever 'out there' somewhere—in a heart, in a mind, in a life—sometimes doing incalculable good, for the LIVING WORD, GOD, cannot fail and cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18) tells us that a word fitly spoken is like "apples of gold," Proverbs 25:11. Something to refresh and to bless. Those aren't the words we should be spare in extending, for the Lord would always have us to be lifting and blessing others with our words--and especially, with HIS WORD!
It's with words of criticism, accusation, fault-finding, discouragement—those negative barbs that, even as we say them, we know they are meant to undermine and to hurt the one to whom they're being spoken, (Psalm 19:14)--that we should be quite spare in speaking them. Wisdom counsels us against using such missiles, even against our enemies. Though the other person may say things that will be regretted later, let us hold our tongue and seal our lips against unkindness.
It is far better to remain silent in the heat of a disagreement than to utter disparaging words, for those words never help anything. They are tools of demolition—as wrecking balls destroy a building, so ill-thought-out words wreck the opportunity to improve our circumstances. Instead of retaliating with words that wound—even if such words have been hurled at us—let us respond with words that uplift, that encourage, that build, that HONOR CHRIST, for HE would never allow negative words to cross His lips.
When He spoke to thieves, to prostitutes, to a man who assented to murder (Saul, who became Paul), His words were of encouragement and forgiveness. Like Him, we must allow kindness to prevail in all our speech. If we have negative words to say, let them be reserved only for those who distort and twist the truth of God—and even as we speak them, let their intent, as were Christ's when He spoke to Paul (Acts 9:4) be to open blind eyes and to soften hard hearts.
In every situation that we face, may we allow JESUS to use us to do a work in the hearts and minds and spirits of those with whom we commune. Let our words be few—and let those words we do speak be to HIS GLORY. Who knows but that perhaps through our allowing the Lord to manifest His kindness and love through us, a soul will be turned from darkness to light, from error to truth, from self-righteousness to Christ's wondrous righteousness. Who knows!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
No Stone Unturned
May 18
To find what you seek in the Road of Life, the best proverb of all is that which says: "Leave no stone unturned." Edward Bulwer Lytton
Have you ever noticed how many stones there are? Just step outside the front door and you will encounter numerous of them! Wander a while through the Garden of Life and you will discover more of them than you can count! Lytton has set an enormous task before us. So while we may not have the capacity or the inclination to overturn every stone along our path, it does behoove us to search under a few of them.
One that might be worthy of our attention is the stone of doubt. Life can hurl some rather hefty rocks of unbelief our way. Some of them may strike us with such force that they virtually knock the faith right out of us. We may be stricken from the assault, but when this happens we must arise, shake ourselves free of the result of the blow and remind ourselves that our faith is stronger than to be undone by stones of doubt as the prophet admonishes in Micah 7:8.
Anger is another of the stones that can render us temporarily senseless. We are struck and the blow elicits a cauldron of rage within us! How dare anyone hurl such a potentially damaging missile our way! We are godly people and above reproach! Our sins are under the blood of Christ and no man has the right to cast a stone of accusation at us! Although this is true, the accusations will inevitably come, and when they do, they will provoke us to anger. When they succeed in hurting us with this stone, its twin will follow.
Anger will be followed by the stone of unforgiveness. It is much easier to hold a grudge against those who endeavor to do us harm than to let go of the animus their attack has generated within us. In fact, it feels good for a season to indulge unforgiveness. We know we are justified in our attitude because when the Lord has washed us clean of our failures, no man has the right to lash out at us regarding them. But they will, and when they do, our natural response is to vilify them and respond in kind. How else can we justify ourselves?
But that stone of self-justification must be overturned within us, for it is the one that prevents us from fully receiving the justification of Jesus! If we must make ourselves right before our accusers, then we are nullifying the justification for which Jesus paid so high a price in our behalf! If we truly believe His life, death
and resurrection in our behalf is effectual, then we will not need to justify ourselves! We will believe in our minds and accept in our hearts that HE HAS PAID THE PRICE AND HIS BLOOD ALONE COVERS AND JUSTIFIES ALL OUR SIN!
When we truly appropriate the totality of the glorious work the Lord has done in our behalf, we will appropriate the stone of peace of that we so easily overlook as we walk along the path of life. When we do, we will see what we have forfeited by its neglect. In fact, we will discover it to be unlike the other stones, for they are designed as missiles to be hurled as weapons while the stone of peace is to be cut and polished like a gem. When we overturn it, we discover it becomes a jewel in our crown!
How can we cause these stones in life to become stepping stones to higher and ever higher planes of faith in Jesus rather than stumbling blocks that cause our downfall? The one key answer to that perplexing question is that we do so by keeping our hand in His and by walking with Him. When we do, HE will deflect the hurtful rocks that are hurled our way and HE will allow us to find the peace and its incumbent joy for which we seek.
We will discover afresh that Jesus who bore the wrath of God in our behalf is faithful and worthy of all our confidence. The Stone the builders rejected is the only One worthy of being the Cornerstone of our lives for time and eternity (Psalm 118:22, Acts 4:11).
To find what you seek in the Road of Life, the best proverb of all is that which says: "Leave no stone unturned." Edward Bulwer Lytton
Have you ever noticed how many stones there are? Just step outside the front door and you will encounter numerous of them! Wander a while through the Garden of Life and you will discover more of them than you can count! Lytton has set an enormous task before us. So while we may not have the capacity or the inclination to overturn every stone along our path, it does behoove us to search under a few of them.
One that might be worthy of our attention is the stone of doubt. Life can hurl some rather hefty rocks of unbelief our way. Some of them may strike us with such force that they virtually knock the faith right out of us. We may be stricken from the assault, but when this happens we must arise, shake ourselves free of the result of the blow and remind ourselves that our faith is stronger than to be undone by stones of doubt as the prophet admonishes in Micah 7:8.
Anger is another of the stones that can render us temporarily senseless. We are struck and the blow elicits a cauldron of rage within us! How dare anyone hurl such a potentially damaging missile our way! We are godly people and above reproach! Our sins are under the blood of Christ and no man has the right to cast a stone of accusation at us! Although this is true, the accusations will inevitably come, and when they do, they will provoke us to anger. When they succeed in hurting us with this stone, its twin will follow.
Anger will be followed by the stone of unforgiveness. It is much easier to hold a grudge against those who endeavor to do us harm than to let go of the animus their attack has generated within us. In fact, it feels good for a season to indulge unforgiveness. We know we are justified in our attitude because when the Lord has washed us clean of our failures, no man has the right to lash out at us regarding them. But they will, and when they do, our natural response is to vilify them and respond in kind. How else can we justify ourselves?
But that stone of self-justification must be overturned within us, for it is the one that prevents us from fully receiving the justification of Jesus! If we must make ourselves right before our accusers, then we are nullifying the justification for which Jesus paid so high a price in our behalf! If we truly believe His life, death
and resurrection in our behalf is effectual, then we will not need to justify ourselves! We will believe in our minds and accept in our hearts that HE HAS PAID THE PRICE AND HIS BLOOD ALONE COVERS AND JUSTIFIES ALL OUR SIN!
When we truly appropriate the totality of the glorious work the Lord has done in our behalf, we will appropriate the stone of peace of that we so easily overlook as we walk along the path of life. When we do, we will see what we have forfeited by its neglect. In fact, we will discover it to be unlike the other stones, for they are designed as missiles to be hurled as weapons while the stone of peace is to be cut and polished like a gem. When we overturn it, we discover it becomes a jewel in our crown!
How can we cause these stones in life to become stepping stones to higher and ever higher planes of faith in Jesus rather than stumbling blocks that cause our downfall? The one key answer to that perplexing question is that we do so by keeping our hand in His and by walking with Him. When we do, HE will deflect the hurtful rocks that are hurled our way and HE will allow us to find the peace and its incumbent joy for which we seek.
We will discover afresh that Jesus who bore the wrath of God in our behalf is faithful and worthy of all our confidence. The Stone the builders rejected is the only One worthy of being the Cornerstone of our lives for time and eternity (Psalm 118:22, Acts 4:11).
Friday, May 17, 2013
Jesus, the Conclusion
May 17
Become a man of value more than a man of success. Albert Einstein
Fall Seven times; stand up eight. Japanese Proverb
They are unrelated in background and culture; the latter isn't even attributed to a specific individual, but they have the same mindset. Both Einstein and the unknown Japanese thinker who stated their insights are right. Einstein, whose background was Jewish, reflected the Biblical concept that a person's ultimate worth is not rooted in the perception the world has of him or his success. It is anchored elsewhere. The Japanese proverb addresses the reality that in his endeavor to attain goals that are worthy, a man cannot allow himself to be defeated, no matter how many times he may appear to fail.
So a brilliant Jewish scientist and an unknown Japanese philosopher have arrived at a complimentary conclusion—a man must adhere himself to the truth that he counts to be of esteem-able worth and he must not allow himself to be deterred from attaining it when he seems to fall short of it. No matter what—HE MUST NEVER GIVE UP! If we can appropriate this mindset, we, who call ourselves Christian, will have attained the mind of Christ, as did these.
The reality that people of divergent cultures in different times and different places can arrive at compatible conclusions makes us realize that indeed God speaks to hearts even when those hearts don't know that He is speaking. It makes us aware that He impresses Himself upon believer and unbeliever alike. It makes us aware that even when we are certain that He is not 'there,' indeed He is. It makes us aware that we are not entities unto ourselves who must endeavor to wend our way without map or compass, but we are guided by an unseen, loving hand that would have all mankind to arrive at His truth, I Timothy 2:4. So we plod on toward the goals we know are right.
We continue to strive toward truth and hope and joy and faith and compassion and forgiveness and love—all the things JESUS made us aware are the building blocks of a life that is successfully lived in Him. Though men may not see us as heroes of the faith who are steadfast in our endeavor we must plod on. Though men may count us as fools and as failures, we must be willing to be, "...fools for Christ's sake," I Corinthians 4:10. Though we may seem totally lost and off the mark, we are assured that the “foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men,” I Corinthians 1:25, so we draw nearer to Jesus!
Why? Because we, of all people on earth—more than the Jew who faithfully chronicled His workings among His ancient people and faithfully recorded His deeds among men; more than the pagan philosopher who had an insight into His mind and heart even apart from His Word—have the "mind of Christ," (I Corinthians 2:16). Because we have His Holy Spirit to teach us all things (John 14:26), we can discover the goals He considers worthy of our pursuit and we, though we may fall along the way of our journey toward them, may rise up again confidently!
We may say as did the prophet in Micah 7:8, "Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy, for when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Will we always feel like the pursuit of truth is worth the effort? Will we always feel like getting up again when we have fallen? No! But His Word tells us that our feelings are deceptive above all things. His Word tells us that we are to anchor our worth, our goals, out time, our eternity to something other than our own perception of reality—we are to anchor ourselves completely to JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We are to trust ONLY IN HIM! All else may fail us, but JESUS NEVER FAILS!
So we continue to hold fast to Him and to pursue His truth...until we are able to achieve all He has for us of power to pull down strongholds along our way to victory after victory.
Become a man of value more than a man of success. Albert Einstein
Fall Seven times; stand up eight. Japanese Proverb
They are unrelated in background and culture; the latter isn't even attributed to a specific individual, but they have the same mindset. Both Einstein and the unknown Japanese thinker who stated their insights are right. Einstein, whose background was Jewish, reflected the Biblical concept that a person's ultimate worth is not rooted in the perception the world has of him or his success. It is anchored elsewhere. The Japanese proverb addresses the reality that in his endeavor to attain goals that are worthy, a man cannot allow himself to be defeated, no matter how many times he may appear to fail.
So a brilliant Jewish scientist and an unknown Japanese philosopher have arrived at a complimentary conclusion—a man must adhere himself to the truth that he counts to be of esteem-able worth and he must not allow himself to be deterred from attaining it when he seems to fall short of it. No matter what—HE MUST NEVER GIVE UP! If we can appropriate this mindset, we, who call ourselves Christian, will have attained the mind of Christ, as did these.
The reality that people of divergent cultures in different times and different places can arrive at compatible conclusions makes us realize that indeed God speaks to hearts even when those hearts don't know that He is speaking. It makes us aware that He impresses Himself upon believer and unbeliever alike. It makes us aware that even when we are certain that He is not 'there,' indeed He is. It makes us aware that we are not entities unto ourselves who must endeavor to wend our way without map or compass, but we are guided by an unseen, loving hand that would have all mankind to arrive at His truth, I Timothy 2:4. So we plod on toward the goals we know are right.
We continue to strive toward truth and hope and joy and faith and compassion and forgiveness and love—all the things JESUS made us aware are the building blocks of a life that is successfully lived in Him. Though men may not see us as heroes of the faith who are steadfast in our endeavor we must plod on. Though men may count us as fools and as failures, we must be willing to be, "...fools for Christ's sake," I Corinthians 4:10. Though we may seem totally lost and off the mark, we are assured that the “foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men,” I Corinthians 1:25, so we draw nearer to Jesus!
Why? Because we, of all people on earth—more than the Jew who faithfully chronicled His workings among His ancient people and faithfully recorded His deeds among men; more than the pagan philosopher who had an insight into His mind and heart even apart from His Word—have the "mind of Christ," (I Corinthians 2:16). Because we have His Holy Spirit to teach us all things (John 14:26), we can discover the goals He considers worthy of our pursuit and we, though we may fall along the way of our journey toward them, may rise up again confidently!
We may say as did the prophet in Micah 7:8, "Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy, for when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Will we always feel like the pursuit of truth is worth the effort? Will we always feel like getting up again when we have fallen? No! But His Word tells us that our feelings are deceptive above all things. His Word tells us that we are to anchor our worth, our goals, out time, our eternity to something other than our own perception of reality—we are to anchor ourselves completely to JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We are to trust ONLY IN HIM! All else may fail us, but JESUS NEVER FAILS!
So we continue to hold fast to Him and to pursue His truth...until we are able to achieve all He has for us of power to pull down strongholds along our way to victory after victory.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Sharing
May 16
I have made it a rule never to be with a person ten minutes without trying to make him happier. Anonymous
What a lovely thought; what a lovely opportunity—to endeavor to take a measure of happiness to those whose lives touch ours. Some people have ample opportunity to do that through their work, for they provide needed resources to those who would suffer lack without the benefit of the services they provide. The doctors, the teachers, the firemen among us serve continually. They, as Matthew 5:16 admonishes, “Let their light so shine before men that their Father in heaven is glorified.”
Beyond that, there are the ordinary little interactions with people in which a smile, a kind word, can interject a ray of sunshine into a dismal day. Our lives are like candles of hope in the darkness of lives that are within the sphere of our radiance. And ours is not a radiance that emanates from us, for we have no light of our own. But we have chosen to be a reflection of Jesus to the people around us—His grace, His kindness, His faithfulness, His hope, His love—are readily seen in us when we let our lives reflect His light. After all, who but Jesus gives anyone any reason to be happy? (See I Peter 3:15)
Without Him, our moments of happiness are fleeting, but with Him, our temporary happiness can become eternal joy. We can face our trials, we can love our enemies, we can share our faith because the Christ within us empowers us to do all things through Him. He does not restrict His advantage upon our lives to the mere spiritual, but He pours Himself over everything that we are and do—all to His glory!
So we claim His finest gifts—health, strength, wisdom, truth, faith, hope, joy, peace, love—in a world that affords us little about which to anticipate good, and we know HIS GIFTS transcend this Vale of Tears we call time and tap us into the Eternal Realm where all good things shall abide forever.
Among those enduring gifts are those we share with others, those wonderful things that bless us become cause for abiding happiness within them as we extend them and they appropriate them. May we always have the gift of giving to others of the wonderful treasures Jesus has given to us. May we know great joy in lavish abundance and may we share it without reservation with those around us.
I have made it a rule never to be with a person ten minutes without trying to make him happier. Anonymous
What a lovely thought; what a lovely opportunity—to endeavor to take a measure of happiness to those whose lives touch ours. Some people have ample opportunity to do that through their work, for they provide needed resources to those who would suffer lack without the benefit of the services they provide. The doctors, the teachers, the firemen among us serve continually. They, as Matthew 5:16 admonishes, “Let their light so shine before men that their Father in heaven is glorified.”
Beyond that, there are the ordinary little interactions with people in which a smile, a kind word, can interject a ray of sunshine into a dismal day. Our lives are like candles of hope in the darkness of lives that are within the sphere of our radiance. And ours is not a radiance that emanates from us, for we have no light of our own. But we have chosen to be a reflection of Jesus to the people around us—His grace, His kindness, His faithfulness, His hope, His love—are readily seen in us when we let our lives reflect His light. After all, who but Jesus gives anyone any reason to be happy? (See I Peter 3:15)
Without Him, our moments of happiness are fleeting, but with Him, our temporary happiness can become eternal joy. We can face our trials, we can love our enemies, we can share our faith because the Christ within us empowers us to do all things through Him. He does not restrict His advantage upon our lives to the mere spiritual, but He pours Himself over everything that we are and do—all to His glory!
So we claim His finest gifts—health, strength, wisdom, truth, faith, hope, joy, peace, love—in a world that affords us little about which to anticipate good, and we know HIS GIFTS transcend this Vale of Tears we call time and tap us into the Eternal Realm where all good things shall abide forever.
Among those enduring gifts are those we share with others, those wonderful things that bless us become cause for abiding happiness within them as we extend them and they appropriate them. May we always have the gift of giving to others of the wonderful treasures Jesus has given to us. May we know great joy in lavish abundance and may we share it without reservation with those around us.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Your Strength Forever
May 15
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10
The Lord desires that you be light in spirit. How do we know? Because His Word that cannot fail and cannot lie tells us that in His joy, we discover our profoundest strength. We may wrestle with the pronouncement of joy that is over us and our circumstances which can rob us of our joy. How can we reconcile the two? How can we appropriate joy and strength when our circumstances are often sorrowing and weakening? We can if we actually believe Romans 8:28 which says, "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to they who are the called, according to His purpose."
I pray that every aspect of your life will be under the blood of Jesus--that you and your family and your ministry and your business associations will be not only guarded and guided by His loving hand but that you will be under His continual transforming of your 'self' into an ever-more beautiful reflection of Him...that who you are will be swallowed up in who Jesus is so that His kindness, His forgiveness, His truth, His love will pervade all that you are and all that you do. When you allow Him to perform that work in you, discovering His joy in every situation will flow from that decision.
My thanks is lifted to the Lord Jesus for every good thing He is accomplishing in you, through you, and in your behalf. I know that life is difficult. I know the economies of the nations of the world are strained to the breaking point. I know that people’s hearts are “failing them for fear because of the things that are coming upon the earth,” Luke 21:26; but I also know that the joy of the Lord is not contingent upon these things. The joy of the Lord comes because we trust Him—because YOU trust Him—in spite of all these things.
May the JOY OF THE LORD FOREVER BE YOUR STRENGTH!
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10
The Lord desires that you be light in spirit. How do we know? Because His Word that cannot fail and cannot lie tells us that in His joy, we discover our profoundest strength. We may wrestle with the pronouncement of joy that is over us and our circumstances which can rob us of our joy. How can we reconcile the two? How can we appropriate joy and strength when our circumstances are often sorrowing and weakening? We can if we actually believe Romans 8:28 which says, "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to they who are the called, according to His purpose."
I pray that every aspect of your life will be under the blood of Jesus--that you and your family and your ministry and your business associations will be not only guarded and guided by His loving hand but that you will be under His continual transforming of your 'self' into an ever-more beautiful reflection of Him...that who you are will be swallowed up in who Jesus is so that His kindness, His forgiveness, His truth, His love will pervade all that you are and all that you do. When you allow Him to perform that work in you, discovering His joy in every situation will flow from that decision.
My thanks is lifted to the Lord Jesus for every good thing He is accomplishing in you, through you, and in your behalf. I know that life is difficult. I know the economies of the nations of the world are strained to the breaking point. I know that people’s hearts are “failing them for fear because of the things that are coming upon the earth,” Luke 21:26; but I also know that the joy of the Lord is not contingent upon these things. The joy of the Lord comes because we trust Him—because YOU trust Him—in spite of all these things.
May the JOY OF THE LORD FOREVER BE YOUR STRENGTH!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Without Jesus
Without Jesus, it is always winter but never Christmas. C.S. Lewis
When you stand at the threshold of a time of fellowship with family or friends, an exchange between people who should count each other as treasures, as gifts from our loving Heavenly Father who enriches life by the warmth and honor and respect and love you bestow upon one another, whether or not you get these things through your fellowship, you must resolve in your mind and heart that you will extend them.
It is only Jesus who can cause this kind of love to rise up within you; it is only Jesus who can allow your heart to extend these gifts to people who have disrespected you and betrayed you. But it is Jesus who first demonstrated this kind of love--extending love to the unlovely, to those who disdain the gift--and it is His example you must emulate when you meet with these people.
They may be awkward. They may be strained. They may be gracious. You will not know their heart, no matter how they project themselves to you because people are very accomplished at concealing their true heart, at masking their true intent. But that doesn't matter. It isn't them that you can control. It is only yourself you have the power to orient in the direction of unfeigned, godly love. It is this love, God's love that the Word tells us "covers a multitude of sins."
First, allow His love to cover you. Let yourself be bathed in the beautiful deliverance from any negative perception of yourself that may lurk deep within the recess of your heart. Allow His love to make you free in the essence of who you are, for it is there that He has transformed you.
Allow yourself to project WHO HE IS IN YOU to everyone around you, for it is Jesus who is important. If you project the fallen, broken distraught person you are because of sin’s claim on every man, you are allowing the worst aspect of your life to dominate your existence. If you project the pure, glorious Savior who dwells in your heart, then you are allowing HIM to dominate your existence. No matter how the people around you want to see you, let yourself require them to see you as who you are through Jesus, for that is the true you.
Second, allow His love to cover them. They may not have opened themselves to His love and they may not permit themselves to be conduits of His kindness but that is their problem, not yours. YOU must see them as blood-bathed children of the God who makes all things new. Love them as HE loves them. Be genuine. Be kind. Be joyful in their presence. You can do this because, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Christ within you will empower you to pour His love through you. Then He will allow you to be strengthened in the inner man by the joy of being HIS child, who demonstrates the Master's heart to the lovely and to the unlovely.
Third, in so employing the character of Christ to the cold, bitter winter that has swirled around you and these people, you will bring Christmas--hope, joy, truth, faith, love--to bear upon a dismal time. No matter how they respond, no matter what they bring to the meeting, YOU will have brought the transformative love of Jesus into their midst and YOU will be blessed. If they allow themselves to partake in the blessing, they will be the richer for it.
The gifts you bear within you of forgiveness, kindness, warmth, joy, faith, love are true treasures. All else pales in comparison to the gift of Christ in you, of who He has made you by His love. If they receive it in love, they will be true Christmas angels. If they refuse it, you will simply have to sing, "Glory to God in the highest..." by yourself. Either way, it will be Christmas in you, no matter the season of the year or the circumstances you face, for HE HAS BEEN BORN IN YOU! God bless you and cause you to see yourself as HE sees you and to project yourself as His blood-washed child.
When you stand at the threshold of a time of fellowship with family or friends, an exchange between people who should count each other as treasures, as gifts from our loving Heavenly Father who enriches life by the warmth and honor and respect and love you bestow upon one another, whether or not you get these things through your fellowship, you must resolve in your mind and heart that you will extend them.
It is only Jesus who can cause this kind of love to rise up within you; it is only Jesus who can allow your heart to extend these gifts to people who have disrespected you and betrayed you. But it is Jesus who first demonstrated this kind of love--extending love to the unlovely, to those who disdain the gift--and it is His example you must emulate when you meet with these people.
They may be awkward. They may be strained. They may be gracious. You will not know their heart, no matter how they project themselves to you because people are very accomplished at concealing their true heart, at masking their true intent. But that doesn't matter. It isn't them that you can control. It is only yourself you have the power to orient in the direction of unfeigned, godly love. It is this love, God's love that the Word tells us "covers a multitude of sins."
First, allow His love to cover you. Let yourself be bathed in the beautiful deliverance from any negative perception of yourself that may lurk deep within the recess of your heart. Allow His love to make you free in the essence of who you are, for it is there that He has transformed you.
Allow yourself to project WHO HE IS IN YOU to everyone around you, for it is Jesus who is important. If you project the fallen, broken distraught person you are because of sin’s claim on every man, you are allowing the worst aspect of your life to dominate your existence. If you project the pure, glorious Savior who dwells in your heart, then you are allowing HIM to dominate your existence. No matter how the people around you want to see you, let yourself require them to see you as who you are through Jesus, for that is the true you.
Second, allow His love to cover them. They may not have opened themselves to His love and they may not permit themselves to be conduits of His kindness but that is their problem, not yours. YOU must see them as blood-bathed children of the God who makes all things new. Love them as HE loves them. Be genuine. Be kind. Be joyful in their presence. You can do this because, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Christ within you will empower you to pour His love through you. Then He will allow you to be strengthened in the inner man by the joy of being HIS child, who demonstrates the Master's heart to the lovely and to the unlovely.
Third, in so employing the character of Christ to the cold, bitter winter that has swirled around you and these people, you will bring Christmas--hope, joy, truth, faith, love--to bear upon a dismal time. No matter how they respond, no matter what they bring to the meeting, YOU will have brought the transformative love of Jesus into their midst and YOU will be blessed. If they allow themselves to partake in the blessing, they will be the richer for it.
The gifts you bear within you of forgiveness, kindness, warmth, joy, faith, love are true treasures. All else pales in comparison to the gift of Christ in you, of who He has made you by His love. If they receive it in love, they will be true Christmas angels. If they refuse it, you will simply have to sing, "Glory to God in the highest..." by yourself. Either way, it will be Christmas in you, no matter the season of the year or the circumstances you face, for HE HAS BEEN BORN IN YOU! God bless you and cause you to see yourself as HE sees you and to project yourself as His blood-washed child.
Monday, May 13, 2013
An Invitation
May 13
How do we look at the world around us? What if God were inviting us to see things the way He sees them? "And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd," Matthew 9:36, (see also Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:32; and Mark. 6:34; 8:2)
What if God were saying to us, His body, that in His sovereignty, He has been bringing the nations to us? That He has commissioned us, His church, not only to reach the nations in their homelands, but also to reach them here in our own homeland?
What if He were saying that it is our responsibility to do this without fear, without pride, without misgivings, without condescension, and without even a hint of ethnocentrism, but with all humility, love, courage, and sacrifice?
Then, rather than seeing the nations in our midst as a threat, an inconvenience, or perhaps just another interesting component to add to the melting pot, we may come around to God's way of seeing them: as sheep without the Shepherd, tossed about, harassed, aimless, lost, "having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Missionary to Mid East
How do we look at the world around us? What if God were inviting us to see things the way He sees them? "And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd," Matthew 9:36, (see also Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:32; and Mark. 6:34; 8:2)
What if God were saying to us, His body, that in His sovereignty, He has been bringing the nations to us? That He has commissioned us, His church, not only to reach the nations in their homelands, but also to reach them here in our own homeland?
What if He were saying that it is our responsibility to do this without fear, without pride, without misgivings, without condescension, and without even a hint of ethnocentrism, but with all humility, love, courage, and sacrifice?
Then, rather than seeing the nations in our midst as a threat, an inconvenience, or perhaps just another interesting component to add to the melting pot, we may come around to God's way of seeing them: as sheep without the Shepherd, tossed about, harassed, aimless, lost, "having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Missionary to Mid East
Sunday, May 12, 2013
A Salute To Mothers
May 12
Today is Mothers' Day in the United States. Ir is a day that is set aside to honor mothers and to recognize the role they play in shaping the lives of their children, and therefore the enormous impact they have upon the future. As William Ross Wallace stated, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." It is mothers who shape the world views of their children--for good or for ill.
May we extend to our mothers the respect that is their due, for the Word tells us we must honor our parents. Doing so is, "the first commandment with promise," Ephesians 6:2. We who believe in the name of the Christ must not allow ourselves to succumb to the folly of the world systems which, according to II Timothy 3:3 will be, "without natural affection," in the last days. The end of time as we know it will be a period when parents shall be scoffed instead of honored.
We must adhere to the unchanging, immutable truths of eternity, knowing that doing so will further alienate us from people who will be swept into the rising tide of lawlessness that will engulf the world. In an age when man is unloving and unforgiving; when he is slanderous of all that is holy; when he is cruel and disdainful of what is good; when he has no self-control because he is given over to the pursuit of pleasure, it is then that we must hold fast to the truth we know.
It is then we must reaffirm our complete reliance upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ who has redeemed us from the world and its lusts. Though we may encounter opposition because of our faith, we must, "know Whom we have believed and be persuaded that he is able to keep that which we've committed to Him," even as He has for believers in generations past at their hour of trial.
Godly mothers all around the world are instrumental in passing the conviction of the Lord's faithfulness to each new generation. May they not falter in their monumental task, for as they rock the cradle, they are instilling eternal truth into the minds and hearts of their children. May they have power in their prayers in the behalf of their children so their offspring will be strong in mind, body and especially in spirit.
Women of the world who nurture the young in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord are of incalculable worth, and we honor them every day, but today, we salute them.
Today is Mothers' Day in the United States. Ir is a day that is set aside to honor mothers and to recognize the role they play in shaping the lives of their children, and therefore the enormous impact they have upon the future. As William Ross Wallace stated, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." It is mothers who shape the world views of their children--for good or for ill.
May we extend to our mothers the respect that is their due, for the Word tells us we must honor our parents. Doing so is, "the first commandment with promise," Ephesians 6:2. We who believe in the name of the Christ must not allow ourselves to succumb to the folly of the world systems which, according to II Timothy 3:3 will be, "without natural affection," in the last days. The end of time as we know it will be a period when parents shall be scoffed instead of honored.
We must adhere to the unchanging, immutable truths of eternity, knowing that doing so will further alienate us from people who will be swept into the rising tide of lawlessness that will engulf the world. In an age when man is unloving and unforgiving; when he is slanderous of all that is holy; when he is cruel and disdainful of what is good; when he has no self-control because he is given over to the pursuit of pleasure, it is then that we must hold fast to the truth we know.
It is then we must reaffirm our complete reliance upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ who has redeemed us from the world and its lusts. Though we may encounter opposition because of our faith, we must, "know Whom we have believed and be persuaded that he is able to keep that which we've committed to Him," even as He has for believers in generations past at their hour of trial.
Godly mothers all around the world are instrumental in passing the conviction of the Lord's faithfulness to each new generation. May they not falter in their monumental task, for as they rock the cradle, they are instilling eternal truth into the minds and hearts of their children. May they have power in their prayers in the behalf of their children so their offspring will be strong in mind, body and especially in spirit.
Women of the world who nurture the young in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord are of incalculable worth, and we honor them every day, but today, we salute them.
Mother
May 12
Today is Mothers' Day in the United States. It is a day that is set aside to honor mothers and to recognize the role they play in shaping the lives of their children and therefore the enormous impact they have upon the future. As William Ross Wallace stated, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."
May we extend to our mothers the respect that is due them, for as the Word tells us, we must honor our parents. Doing so is, "the first commandment with promise," Ephesians 6:2. We who believe in the name of Christ must not allow ourselves to succumb to the folly of the world system which, according to II Timothy 3:3 will be "without natural affection" in the last days; when parents shall be scoffed instead of honored.
Rather, we must adhere to the unchanging, immutable truths of eternity although doing so will often place us in a position of opposition to the rising tide of departure from the admonitions of scripture. In our age when man is unloving and unforgiving; when he is slanderous of all that is holy, when he is cruel and disdainful of what is good. when he has no self-control because he is given over to pursuit of pleasure, it is then that we must hold fast to the truth we know.
It is then we must reaffirm our complete reliance upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ who has redeemed us from the world and its lusts. Though we may encounter opposition because of our faith, we must "know Whom we have believed and be persuaded that He is able to keep that which we've committed to Him," II Timothy 1:12. Jesus Christ is faithful and true and He will keep what this generation commits to Him, even as He has through generations past.
Godly mothers all around the world are instrumental in passing the conviction of the Lord's faithfulness to each new generation. May they not falter in their monumental task, for as they rock the cradle, they are instilling eternal truth into the minds and hearts of their children.
Today is Mothers' Day in the United States. It is a day that is set aside to honor mothers and to recognize the role they play in shaping the lives of their children and therefore the enormous impact they have upon the future. As William Ross Wallace stated, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."
May we extend to our mothers the respect that is due them, for as the Word tells us, we must honor our parents. Doing so is, "the first commandment with promise," Ephesians 6:2. We who believe in the name of Christ must not allow ourselves to succumb to the folly of the world system which, according to II Timothy 3:3 will be "without natural affection" in the last days; when parents shall be scoffed instead of honored.
Rather, we must adhere to the unchanging, immutable truths of eternity although doing so will often place us in a position of opposition to the rising tide of departure from the admonitions of scripture. In our age when man is unloving and unforgiving; when he is slanderous of all that is holy, when he is cruel and disdainful of what is good. when he has no self-control because he is given over to pursuit of pleasure, it is then that we must hold fast to the truth we know.
It is then we must reaffirm our complete reliance upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ who has redeemed us from the world and its lusts. Though we may encounter opposition because of our faith, we must "know Whom we have believed and be persuaded that He is able to keep that which we've committed to Him," II Timothy 1:12. Jesus Christ is faithful and true and He will keep what this generation commits to Him, even as He has through generations past.
Godly mothers all around the world are instrumental in passing the conviction of the Lord's faithfulness to each new generation. May they not falter in their monumental task, for as they rock the cradle, they are instilling eternal truth into the minds and hearts of their children.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Anemic Bride of Christ
May 11
While yesterday's post details the persecution and suffering believers in muslim lands endure for the sake of "knowing Jesus Christ and Him crucified," I Corinthians 2:2, today's touches upon the coldness that has crept into the Western Church. Apathy, and somnolence have fallen over believers in free lands that prevent them from exercising their faith with passion and from sharing the gospel in power. May we be shaken awake from this indifference to the Savior we take for granted and may we be on fire with passion for Him!
THE ANEMIC BRIDE OF CHRIST
The Bride of Christ is ill and frail. She is being consumed by a malady that she does not recognize because she’s borne it so long! What an indictment against the Church—the Bride of the One who heals and sets free—is suffering from the sin-sickness of faithlessness!
In Christ’s day and in many cultures today, a bride is lavished with gifts from her intended and from his family. She is given gold, fine jewels, beautiful clothing—all as a token of their welcome of her into their family. Christ lavished gifts upon His Bride. He told her she had the gifts of prophecy, healing, discernment, speaking in tongues, faith to move mountains...
He told her she could do great exploits in His name—much as a loving young husband tells his new wife she may use his checkbook any way she wishes! The bride writes the check. The groom covers the bill. Jesus told His Bride she could speak a word in His name and it would be done—He would cover all the checks she writes. “...Pray for the sick and they shall recover,” Mark 16:18. “Ask anything in faith believing and it shall be done,” James 1:6.
The Lord has lavished His Bride with spiritual wealth that boggles the imagination! She should be praying for the needs of the lost and dying world around her, but she is suffering from the illness of doubt and unbelief that plagues the rest of the world! She can’t minister to them because she’s suffering from the same affliction herself! And she doesn’t know it because her lethargy has put her into a spiritual somnolence that inures her to her own need!
Will the Bride’s spiritual lethargy render her incapable of bearing fruit for the Kingdom of her Bridegroom? It will if she doesn’t shake herself from it and begin to nurture souls! But first she must allow herself to be anointed afresh! She must give herself over to the One she professes to love and allow Him to deliver her from her weak condition to restored, vital Spirit-infused energy!
Jesus is returning soon for a beautiful Bride without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). She cannot be spiritually anemic and consumed with the world! She must be vibrant! She must be full of the Holy Ghost and Fire! There must be a passion in her bosom for her Bridegroom that propels her forward in the pursuit of holiness and Spiritual power!
May the Bride consume the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and drink the Living Water (John 7:38) that she lacks so she may be strengthened, so she may use the gifts—the power of Jesus (Matthew 28:18)—that He shares with her (Luke 10:19) to do the work of His Kingdom! The hour is late. His return is near.
While yesterday's post details the persecution and suffering believers in muslim lands endure for the sake of "knowing Jesus Christ and Him crucified," I Corinthians 2:2, today's touches upon the coldness that has crept into the Western Church. Apathy, and somnolence have fallen over believers in free lands that prevent them from exercising their faith with passion and from sharing the gospel in power. May we be shaken awake from this indifference to the Savior we take for granted and may we be on fire with passion for Him!
THE ANEMIC BRIDE OF CHRIST
The Bride of Christ is ill and frail. She is being consumed by a malady that she does not recognize because she’s borne it so long! What an indictment against the Church—the Bride of the One who heals and sets free—is suffering from the sin-sickness of faithlessness!
In Christ’s day and in many cultures today, a bride is lavished with gifts from her intended and from his family. She is given gold, fine jewels, beautiful clothing—all as a token of their welcome of her into their family. Christ lavished gifts upon His Bride. He told her she had the gifts of prophecy, healing, discernment, speaking in tongues, faith to move mountains...
He told her she could do great exploits in His name—much as a loving young husband tells his new wife she may use his checkbook any way she wishes! The bride writes the check. The groom covers the bill. Jesus told His Bride she could speak a word in His name and it would be done—He would cover all the checks she writes. “...Pray for the sick and they shall recover,” Mark 16:18. “Ask anything in faith believing and it shall be done,” James 1:6.
The Lord has lavished His Bride with spiritual wealth that boggles the imagination! She should be praying for the needs of the lost and dying world around her, but she is suffering from the illness of doubt and unbelief that plagues the rest of the world! She can’t minister to them because she’s suffering from the same affliction herself! And she doesn’t know it because her lethargy has put her into a spiritual somnolence that inures her to her own need!
Will the Bride’s spiritual lethargy render her incapable of bearing fruit for the Kingdom of her Bridegroom? It will if she doesn’t shake herself from it and begin to nurture souls! But first she must allow herself to be anointed afresh! She must give herself over to the One she professes to love and allow Him to deliver her from her weak condition to restored, vital Spirit-infused energy!
Jesus is returning soon for a beautiful Bride without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). She cannot be spiritually anemic and consumed with the world! She must be vibrant! She must be full of the Holy Ghost and Fire! There must be a passion in her bosom for her Bridegroom that propels her forward in the pursuit of holiness and Spiritual power!
May the Bride consume the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and drink the Living Water (John 7:38) that she lacks so she may be strengthened, so she may use the gifts—the power of Jesus (Matthew 28:18)—that He shares with her (Luke 10:19) to do the work of His Kingdom! The hour is late. His return is near.
Friday, May 10, 2013
...Your Redemption Draws Near
May 10
Today's post is disturbing and it is for your information. Perhaps you have first-hand awareness of the matter related here. If you are in a place described in this report, please know you are lifted in prayer. This scripture verse regards the events that are unfolding: "When these things come to pass, look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near," Luke 21:28.
A mass exodus of Christians is currently underway. Millions of Christians are being displaced from one end of the Islamic world to the other. We are reliving the true history of how the Islamic world, much of which prior to the Islamic conquests was almost entirely Christian, came into being.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said: “The flight of Christians out of the region is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year.” In our lifetime alone “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt.”
Ongoing reports from the Islamic world certainly support this conclusion: Iraq was the earliest indicator of the fate awaiting Christians once Islamic forces are liberated from the grip of dictators. The 2010 Baghdad church attack, which saw nearly 60 Christian worshippers slaughtered, is the tip of a decade-long iceberg.
In 2003, Iraq’s Christian population was at least one million. Today fewer than 400,000 remain—the result of an anti-Christian campaign that began with the U.S. occupation of Iraq, when countless Christian churches were bombed and countless Christians killed, including by crucifixion and beheading.
Now, as the U.S. supports the jihad on Syria’s secular president Assad, the same pattern has come to Syria: entire regions and towns where Christians lived for centuries before Islam came into being have now been emptied, as the opposition targets Christians for kidnapping, plundering, and beheadings, all in compliance with mosque calls telling the populace that it’s a “sacred duty” to drive Christians away.
In October 2012 the last Christian in the city of Homs—which had a Christian population of some 80,000 before jihadis came—was murdered. One teenage Syrian girl said: “We left because they were trying to kill us… because we were Christians…. Those who were our neighbors turned against us. At the end, when we ran away, we went through balconies. We did not even dare go out on the street in front of our house.”
In Egypt, some 100,000 Christian Copts have fled their homeland soon after the “Arab Spring.” In September 2012, the Sinai’s small Christian community was attacked and evicted by Al Qaeda linked Muslims, Reuters reported. But even before that, the Coptic Orthodox Church lamented the “repeated incidents of displacement of Copts from their homes, whether by force or threat.
Displacements began in Ameriya [62 Christian families evicted], then they stretched to Dahshur [120 Christian families evicted], and today terror and threats have reached the hearts and souls of our Coptic children in Sinai.”
Iraq, Syria, and Egypt are part of the Arab world. But even in “black” African and “white” European nations with Muslim majorities, Christians are fleeing.
In Mali, after a 2012 Islamic coup, as many as 200,000 Christians fled. According to reports, “the church in Mali faces being eradicated,” especially in the north “where rebels want to establish an independent Islamist state and drive Christians out… there have been house to house searches for Christians who might be in hiding, churches and other Christian property have been looted or destroyed, and people tortured into revealing any Christian relatives.” At least one pastor was beheaded.
Even in European Bosnia, Christians are leaving en mass “amid mounting discrimination and Islamization.” Only 440,000 Catholics remain in the Balkan nation, half the prewar figure.
Problems cited are typical: “while dozens of mosques were built in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, no building permits were given for Christian churches.” “Time is running out as there is a worrisome rise in radicalism,” said one authority, who further added that the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina were “persecuted for centuries” after European powers “failed to support them in their struggle against the Ottoman Empire.”
And so history repeats itself.
One can go on and on:
In Ethiopia, after a Christian was accused of desecrating a Koran, thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes when “Muslim extremists set fire to roughly 50 churches and dozens of Christian homes.”
In the Ivory Coast—where Christians have literally been crucified—Islamic rebels “massacred hundreds and displaced tens of thousands” of Christians.
In Libya, Islamic rebels forced several Christian religious orders, serving the sick and needy in the country since 1921, to flee.
To anyone following the plight of Christians under Islamic persecution, none of this is surprising. As I document in my new book, “Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians,” all around the Islamic world—in nations that do not share the same race, language, culture, or economics, in nations that share only Islam—Christians are being persecuted into extinction. Such is the true face of extremist Islamic resurgence.
Raymond Ibrahim is author of the new book "Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians" (Regnery Publishing 2013). A Middle East and Islam specialist, he is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an associate fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/05/07/mass-exodus-christians-from-muslim-world/#ixzz2SsS9NDcL
Today's post is disturbing and it is for your information. Perhaps you have first-hand awareness of the matter related here. If you are in a place described in this report, please know you are lifted in prayer. This scripture verse regards the events that are unfolding: "When these things come to pass, look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near," Luke 21:28.
A mass exodus of Christians is currently underway. Millions of Christians are being displaced from one end of the Islamic world to the other. We are reliving the true history of how the Islamic world, much of which prior to the Islamic conquests was almost entirely Christian, came into being.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said: “The flight of Christians out of the region is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year.” In our lifetime alone “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt.”
Ongoing reports from the Islamic world certainly support this conclusion: Iraq was the earliest indicator of the fate awaiting Christians once Islamic forces are liberated from the grip of dictators. The 2010 Baghdad church attack, which saw nearly 60 Christian worshippers slaughtered, is the tip of a decade-long iceberg.
In 2003, Iraq’s Christian population was at least one million. Today fewer than 400,000 remain—the result of an anti-Christian campaign that began with the U.S. occupation of Iraq, when countless Christian churches were bombed and countless Christians killed, including by crucifixion and beheading.
Now, as the U.S. supports the jihad on Syria’s secular president Assad, the same pattern has come to Syria: entire regions and towns where Christians lived for centuries before Islam came into being have now been emptied, as the opposition targets Christians for kidnapping, plundering, and beheadings, all in compliance with mosque calls telling the populace that it’s a “sacred duty” to drive Christians away.
In October 2012 the last Christian in the city of Homs—which had a Christian population of some 80,000 before jihadis came—was murdered. One teenage Syrian girl said: “We left because they were trying to kill us… because we were Christians…. Those who were our neighbors turned against us. At the end, when we ran away, we went through balconies. We did not even dare go out on the street in front of our house.”
In Egypt, some 100,000 Christian Copts have fled their homeland soon after the “Arab Spring.” In September 2012, the Sinai’s small Christian community was attacked and evicted by Al Qaeda linked Muslims, Reuters reported. But even before that, the Coptic Orthodox Church lamented the “repeated incidents of displacement of Copts from their homes, whether by force or threat.
Displacements began in Ameriya [62 Christian families evicted], then they stretched to Dahshur [120 Christian families evicted], and today terror and threats have reached the hearts and souls of our Coptic children in Sinai.”
Iraq, Syria, and Egypt are part of the Arab world. But even in “black” African and “white” European nations with Muslim majorities, Christians are fleeing.
In Mali, after a 2012 Islamic coup, as many as 200,000 Christians fled. According to reports, “the church in Mali faces being eradicated,” especially in the north “where rebels want to establish an independent Islamist state and drive Christians out… there have been house to house searches for Christians who might be in hiding, churches and other Christian property have been looted or destroyed, and people tortured into revealing any Christian relatives.” At least one pastor was beheaded.
Even in European Bosnia, Christians are leaving en mass “amid mounting discrimination and Islamization.” Only 440,000 Catholics remain in the Balkan nation, half the prewar figure.
Problems cited are typical: “while dozens of mosques were built in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, no building permits were given for Christian churches.” “Time is running out as there is a worrisome rise in radicalism,” said one authority, who further added that the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina were “persecuted for centuries” after European powers “failed to support them in their struggle against the Ottoman Empire.”
And so history repeats itself.
One can go on and on:
In Ethiopia, after a Christian was accused of desecrating a Koran, thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes when “Muslim extremists set fire to roughly 50 churches and dozens of Christian homes.”
In the Ivory Coast—where Christians have literally been crucified—Islamic rebels “massacred hundreds and displaced tens of thousands” of Christians.
In Libya, Islamic rebels forced several Christian religious orders, serving the sick and needy in the country since 1921, to flee.
To anyone following the plight of Christians under Islamic persecution, none of this is surprising. As I document in my new book, “Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians,” all around the Islamic world—in nations that do not share the same race, language, culture, or economics, in nations that share only Islam—Christians are being persecuted into extinction. Such is the true face of extremist Islamic resurgence.
Raymond Ibrahim is author of the new book "Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians" (Regnery Publishing 2013). A Middle East and Islam specialist, he is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an associate fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/05/07/mass-exodus-christians-from-muslim-world/#ixzz2SsS9NDcL
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Prayer for Joy, Peace, Health, Love
May 9
My prayer for you today is that you will have the joy of the Lord as your strength (Nehemiah 8:10); that you will have His peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) as your daily portion; that you will abide in His total health and well-being that He purchased for you at Calvary (Isaiah 53:5); and that you will receive and share His unfailing love for you (Jeremiah 31:3) as you walk as a minister of the gospel through the responsibilities of your life, touching everyone whose life touches yours with the great power of who Jesus is within you.
A strategic component of your ability to exercise the power Jesus has given to you, to access and to utilize that power toward the ministry of who He is within the tabernacle of who you are, lies within these few powerful words--that you refrain from allowing the "little foxes from spoiling the vines," (Song of Solomon 2:15).
Indeed, because the Lord has shielded you from life's unfortunate eventualities through His joy, His peace, His health, His great love for you, the one avenue of attack remaining to the enemy of your soul is through the small annoyances that can rob you of your assurance that Jesus is faithful in His total provision for you.
When the evil one assails you with worry or despair or anxiety or hopelessness, rebuke him immediately with the assertion that Jesus is Lord over all the complexities of your life, that He is faithful to perform what He has promised (Romans 4:21). Never give place to the enemy! Always hold fast to the promises of the Holy One who loves you!
My prayer for you today is that you will have the joy of the Lord as your strength (Nehemiah 8:10); that you will have His peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) as your daily portion; that you will abide in His total health and well-being that He purchased for you at Calvary (Isaiah 53:5); and that you will receive and share His unfailing love for you (Jeremiah 31:3) as you walk as a minister of the gospel through the responsibilities of your life, touching everyone whose life touches yours with the great power of who Jesus is within you.
A strategic component of your ability to exercise the power Jesus has given to you, to access and to utilize that power toward the ministry of who He is within the tabernacle of who you are, lies within these few powerful words--that you refrain from allowing the "little foxes from spoiling the vines," (Song of Solomon 2:15).
Indeed, because the Lord has shielded you from life's unfortunate eventualities through His joy, His peace, His health, His great love for you, the one avenue of attack remaining to the enemy of your soul is through the small annoyances that can rob you of your assurance that Jesus is faithful in His total provision for you.
When the evil one assails you with worry or despair or anxiety or hopelessness, rebuke him immediately with the assertion that Jesus is Lord over all the complexities of your life, that He is faithful to perform what He has promised (Romans 4:21). Never give place to the enemy! Always hold fast to the promises of the Holy One who loves you!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Our True Dilemma
May 8
We live in an age of moral ambiguity. We no longer see matters of 'right and wrong' as being 'right or wrong.' We see through a veil of uncertainty that results in our calling 'good evil and evil good.' Isaiah 5:20 pronounces woe upon those who blur the distinction between righteousness and evil.
Our dilemma is that man has obscured the line between right and wrong since his habitation of the planet began. When the evil one suggested to Eve that perhaps God hadn't really intended that she refrain from the forbidden, he planted the seed of vacillation between obedience to God's law and disdain for it (See Genesis 3:1).
Covert sin began at that point when Eve and the man that she compelled to join her in sin, Adam, hid from God to conceal their disobedience. The pronounced difference between them and man today is the fact that the modern sinner doesn't feel the need to hide his sin. There are blatant examples of today's acceptance of sin that would once have been condemned.
The mayor of a great American city, for example, lives openly with his mistress. The governor of that same state shares the governor's mansion with his live-in girlfriend who happens to be a celebrity in her own right. In their flagrant wallowing in the quagmire of sexual sin, they are without shame. In this they reflect the moral ambiguity of the voters who elected them.
We are without moral 'high ground,' and we are indeed, without a moral compass. Has sin changed? Are we worse than our ancestral counterparts? No, it has not and we are not. We are simply so inured to the reality of sin that we don't feel any need to veil it. If we feel no compunction against sin, then we recognize no need for a Savior--and that's our true dilemma.
We live in an age of moral ambiguity. We no longer see matters of 'right and wrong' as being 'right or wrong.' We see through a veil of uncertainty that results in our calling 'good evil and evil good.' Isaiah 5:20 pronounces woe upon those who blur the distinction between righteousness and evil.
Our dilemma is that man has obscured the line between right and wrong since his habitation of the planet began. When the evil one suggested to Eve that perhaps God hadn't really intended that she refrain from the forbidden, he planted the seed of vacillation between obedience to God's law and disdain for it (See Genesis 3:1).
Covert sin began at that point when Eve and the man that she compelled to join her in sin, Adam, hid from God to conceal their disobedience. The pronounced difference between them and man today is the fact that the modern sinner doesn't feel the need to hide his sin. There are blatant examples of today's acceptance of sin that would once have been condemned.
The mayor of a great American city, for example, lives openly with his mistress. The governor of that same state shares the governor's mansion with his live-in girlfriend who happens to be a celebrity in her own right. In their flagrant wallowing in the quagmire of sexual sin, they are without shame. In this they reflect the moral ambiguity of the voters who elected them.
We are without moral 'high ground,' and we are indeed, without a moral compass. Has sin changed? Are we worse than our ancestral counterparts? No, it has not and we are not. We are simply so inured to the reality of sin that we don't feel any need to veil it. If we feel no compunction against sin, then we recognize no need for a Savior--and that's our true dilemma.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Prevelance of Fear
May 7
In Luke 21:25,26 the Lord tells us that in the last days men's hearts will be "failing them for fear for those things that are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." In II Timothy 3:1, Paul says much the same thing to his young disciple, "In the last days, perilous times shall come."
Paul goes on to describe those perilous times in II Timothy 3:2-7: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. They shall be without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, fierce, dispersers of those who are good, traitors, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
They will have a form of godliness but will deny the power of God Himself over them. From such--stay away! For they are the sort who creep into your lives and lead you away with foolish deceptions and lusts. They are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of truth." These words ring quite true in the age in which we live. Not only are ordinary people of this ilk, but so are people who are in positions of leadership.
In verse 13, the great Apostle states frankly that at this juncture in time, when things have waxed worse and worse, "the end shall come." This parallels what Jesus said in Matthew 24:21, "There shall be great and unequaled distress upon the earth, unlike any that has ever been." The great peril of these days will deception. False messiahs will profess to be the Christ and foolish men who are ungrounded in faith shall stumble after them.
How are believers to respond to these tumultuous circumstances? In II Timothy 1:7 Paul offers the solution: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." We are not to anxiously cower in a corner but we are to employ the power of the Holy Spirit within us to reach out to the lost and fearful among us with the unchanging message of salvation through Jesus Christ and with the assurance that ultimately, He will conquer all evil!
In Luke 21:25,26 the Lord tells us that in the last days men's hearts will be "failing them for fear for those things that are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." In II Timothy 3:1, Paul says much the same thing to his young disciple, "In the last days, perilous times shall come."
Paul goes on to describe those perilous times in II Timothy 3:2-7: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. They shall be without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, fierce, dispersers of those who are good, traitors, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
They will have a form of godliness but will deny the power of God Himself over them. From such--stay away! For they are the sort who creep into your lives and lead you away with foolish deceptions and lusts. They are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of truth." These words ring quite true in the age in which we live. Not only are ordinary people of this ilk, but so are people who are in positions of leadership.
In verse 13, the great Apostle states frankly that at this juncture in time, when things have waxed worse and worse, "the end shall come." This parallels what Jesus said in Matthew 24:21, "There shall be great and unequaled distress upon the earth, unlike any that has ever been." The great peril of these days will deception. False messiahs will profess to be the Christ and foolish men who are ungrounded in faith shall stumble after them.
How are believers to respond to these tumultuous circumstances? In II Timothy 1:7 Paul offers the solution: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." We are not to anxiously cower in a corner but we are to employ the power of the Holy Spirit within us to reach out to the lost and fearful among us with the unchanging message of salvation through Jesus Christ and with the assurance that ultimately, He will conquer all evil!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Free
May 6
We tend to take the most important things in life for granted. Chiefest among them perhaps is our freedom. We in the West have been so free from the burden of political oppression that we have lost sight of the fact that being free is not the natural state of life on this planet where men have sought from the time of Cain and Able to impose dominance over one another. As it has been said, "Freedom is not free."
Men have fought in great wars to supply that precious commodity to themselves and their progeny. We who are the children of mighty warriors for freedom bask in the comfort of what they have bequeathed to us and we have become somnolent in our false perception that we are forever secure in it.
We have lost sight of the reality that it will be stolen away from us by insidious forces if we are not ever vigilant and if we are not ever ready to defend it ourselves. Freedom is certainly an entity worth fighting for. It is worth dying for in order to preserve it for not only ourselves but for our children and grandchildren and all who will follow after us. We who value it must be ever prepared to speak in its behalf, to fight for its preservation, to relinquish our lives for its perpetuation.
Freedom is precious in an eternal sense as well, because Jesus Christ has died to set us free from the clutches of the evil one who goes about to "steal, kill and destroy," John 10:10. God's ancient foe is brutal toward those who endeavor to escape his fiendish grasp. If he could, he would keep minds and hearts enshrouded in darkness--so he fights the Light of Christ whenever it encroaches into the face of the deep.
As we endeavor to shine Christ's light to the lost, we are mindful that the task is His, for we have no light of our own; and yet we are not undone in the performance of our monumental task, for "greater is HE who is within us than he who is in the world," I John 4:4. Though the evil one rail against the light, his darkness shall be undone! Ultimately, Jesus shall prevail and all who trust in Him shall be free!
We tend to take the most important things in life for granted. Chiefest among them perhaps is our freedom. We in the West have been so free from the burden of political oppression that we have lost sight of the fact that being free is not the natural state of life on this planet where men have sought from the time of Cain and Able to impose dominance over one another. As it has been said, "Freedom is not free."
Men have fought in great wars to supply that precious commodity to themselves and their progeny. We who are the children of mighty warriors for freedom bask in the comfort of what they have bequeathed to us and we have become somnolent in our false perception that we are forever secure in it.
We have lost sight of the reality that it will be stolen away from us by insidious forces if we are not ever vigilant and if we are not ever ready to defend it ourselves. Freedom is certainly an entity worth fighting for. It is worth dying for in order to preserve it for not only ourselves but for our children and grandchildren and all who will follow after us. We who value it must be ever prepared to speak in its behalf, to fight for its preservation, to relinquish our lives for its perpetuation.
Freedom is precious in an eternal sense as well, because Jesus Christ has died to set us free from the clutches of the evil one who goes about to "steal, kill and destroy," John 10:10. God's ancient foe is brutal toward those who endeavor to escape his fiendish grasp. If he could, he would keep minds and hearts enshrouded in darkness--so he fights the Light of Christ whenever it encroaches into the face of the deep.
As we endeavor to shine Christ's light to the lost, we are mindful that the task is His, for we have no light of our own; and yet we are not undone in the performance of our monumental task, for "greater is HE who is within us than he who is in the world," I John 4:4. Though the evil one rail against the light, his darkness shall be undone! Ultimately, Jesus shall prevail and all who trust in Him shall be free!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Jesus Loves Me
May 5
Man is inclined to doubt. On, that is not to recognize that some of our species have great inner assurance where their own abilities as well as universal outcomes are concerned. They believe that they shall attain the heights of personal success and they have great expectation that world peace and harmony among men of different political and religious and ethnic persuasions shall occur.
Others of our frame are not so sure of either. They live their lives without pursuing many goals they would like to achieve because they fear failure. They look at world circumstances and are convinced that there will never be a harmonious blending of peoples or ideologies. The Bible indicates, regarding the concept of world peace, that they are correct.
Personal goals may be pursued and attained with varying degrees of success until there is a conclusion of all things as we know them on this troubled planet, but regarding universal harmony, we are told that things will worsen until the end comes (see II Timothy 3:13), so we are prudent to doubt those who "cry 'Peace and Safety'" as I Thessalonians 5:3 indicates, knowing that as they do, the end "comes suddenly upon them."
Shall we then live in doubt and anxiety, watching, waiting for that sudden destruction? Indeed not! We are to "Look up and lift up our heads," (Luke 21:28), for as the Lord has assured us, it is then that our redemption draws near. No matter what things transpire as we go through the last days of time we must be mindful of the assurance of the children's song: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so (by Anna Bartlett Warner).
We must cling to that one true thing through all the ups and downs of time, for that one true thing assures us of our eternal hope that will not be denied by the schemes of the enemy of our souls or by his human minions. That one true thing is our blessed assurance that "Jesus, who was taken up from you, shall return in like manner as you have seen Him go," Acts 1:11. He will be back for us. He will be back for me, because "Jesus loves me..."
Man is inclined to doubt. On, that is not to recognize that some of our species have great inner assurance where their own abilities as well as universal outcomes are concerned. They believe that they shall attain the heights of personal success and they have great expectation that world peace and harmony among men of different political and religious and ethnic persuasions shall occur.
Others of our frame are not so sure of either. They live their lives without pursuing many goals they would like to achieve because they fear failure. They look at world circumstances and are convinced that there will never be a harmonious blending of peoples or ideologies. The Bible indicates, regarding the concept of world peace, that they are correct.
Personal goals may be pursued and attained with varying degrees of success until there is a conclusion of all things as we know them on this troubled planet, but regarding universal harmony, we are told that things will worsen until the end comes (see II Timothy 3:13), so we are prudent to doubt those who "cry 'Peace and Safety'" as I Thessalonians 5:3 indicates, knowing that as they do, the end "comes suddenly upon them."
Shall we then live in doubt and anxiety, watching, waiting for that sudden destruction? Indeed not! We are to "Look up and lift up our heads," (Luke 21:28), for as the Lord has assured us, it is then that our redemption draws near. No matter what things transpire as we go through the last days of time we must be mindful of the assurance of the children's song: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so (by Anna Bartlett Warner).
We must cling to that one true thing through all the ups and downs of time, for that one true thing assures us of our eternal hope that will not be denied by the schemes of the enemy of our souls or by his human minions. That one true thing is our blessed assurance that "Jesus, who was taken up from you, shall return in like manner as you have seen Him go," Acts 1:11. He will be back for us. He will be back for me, because "Jesus loves me..."
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Micah 7:8
May 4
Life is a journey that leads along smooth roads and rough. Some are fraught with congestion and slow progress--we all seem to be trying very hard to get somewhere important--and we are often in each other's way in the process.
Life is sometimes sweet--love and joy abound in our hearts and among our associates while other times find us tasting of the bitter experiences of our sojourn here.
At times are way is prospered and we reap the fruits of our labors and savor the sweet taste of success. However, the harvest of our lives is not always enjoyable--at times it is bitter and our spirits are soured from the partaking of it.
We know how to handle life's blessings, we think we know how to spend them wisely; but when we are challenged, when we are down and out we are often at a loss as to how we can recover from the misstep we've taken, from our fall from grace.
At those times, we proclaim the words of the prophet in Micah 7:8 to remind ourselves and those who assent to our dismay that our enemies must not rejoice over us, "...for when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me."
In all matters, we shall trust, for Jesus is in control of all that matters to us.
Life is a journey that leads along smooth roads and rough. Some are fraught with congestion and slow progress--we all seem to be trying very hard to get somewhere important--and we are often in each other's way in the process.
Life is sometimes sweet--love and joy abound in our hearts and among our associates while other times find us tasting of the bitter experiences of our sojourn here.
At times are way is prospered and we reap the fruits of our labors and savor the sweet taste of success. However, the harvest of our lives is not always enjoyable--at times it is bitter and our spirits are soured from the partaking of it.
We know how to handle life's blessings, we think we know how to spend them wisely; but when we are challenged, when we are down and out we are often at a loss as to how we can recover from the misstep we've taken, from our fall from grace.
At those times, we proclaim the words of the prophet in Micah 7:8 to remind ourselves and those who assent to our dismay that our enemies must not rejoice over us, "...for when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me."
In all matters, we shall trust, for Jesus is in control of all that matters to us.
Friday, May 3, 2013
In His Image
May 3
"Let Us make man in Our image; after Our likeness, let Us fashion him," Genesis 1:26.
There it is. On the very first page of the Bible, God's inerrant word, is the irrefutable assertion of God Himself that He is triune in the essence if Himself. Until verse 26 of the first chapter of the Book of all books, God has spoken of Himself in the singular, and perhaps it is significant that He chose to introduce this aspect of His character at the point where He created man.
Man, as the Holy One has stated, is made in His image, after His likeness, and the connection between man's triune nature becomes quite profound when it is recognized to be predicated upon the very essence of the personhood of God.
Man is not only body but mind and spirit and this reflects the fact that the Majesty on High is the great Mind that first conceptualized then fashioned all that exists; He is the Spirit that moved upon the face of the deep (Genesis 1:2)
as well as the Divine Resident who dwells in the hearts of those who believe; and He is the body that came to earth as perfect God/Man and Savior.
We who occupy this tabernacle of flesh are also body, mind, and spirit, for we are like Him. The heart of God longed for fellowship and love, so He fashioned a being who has the capacity to fulfill the deep desire of His heart. If we will allow ourselves to love Him, to honor Him, to embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord; If we will say as Thomas did, "My Lord and my God," (John 20:28), then we will become the abode of the Spirit of the Holy One.
In becoming His dwelling place, in allowing ourselves to die to self and become alive to the indwelling Christ, we are filled with the likeness of His person--we become the true, triune likeness of the Majesty on High as our minds assent to His glory, our bodies bow in worship to His holiness and our spirits become the abode of His Holy Spirit.
"Let Us make man in Our image; after Our likeness, let Us fashion him," Genesis 1:26.
There it is. On the very first page of the Bible, God's inerrant word, is the irrefutable assertion of God Himself that He is triune in the essence if Himself. Until verse 26 of the first chapter of the Book of all books, God has spoken of Himself in the singular, and perhaps it is significant that He chose to introduce this aspect of His character at the point where He created man.
Man, as the Holy One has stated, is made in His image, after His likeness, and the connection between man's triune nature becomes quite profound when it is recognized to be predicated upon the very essence of the personhood of God.
Man is not only body but mind and spirit and this reflects the fact that the Majesty on High is the great Mind that first conceptualized then fashioned all that exists; He is the Spirit that moved upon the face of the deep (Genesis 1:2)
as well as the Divine Resident who dwells in the hearts of those who believe; and He is the body that came to earth as perfect God/Man and Savior.
We who occupy this tabernacle of flesh are also body, mind, and spirit, for we are like Him. The heart of God longed for fellowship and love, so He fashioned a being who has the capacity to fulfill the deep desire of His heart. If we will allow ourselves to love Him, to honor Him, to embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord; If we will say as Thomas did, "My Lord and my God," (John 20:28), then we will become the abode of the Spirit of the Holy One.
In becoming His dwelling place, in allowing ourselves to die to self and become alive to the indwelling Christ, we are filled with the likeness of His person--we become the true, triune likeness of the Majesty on High as our minds assent to His glory, our bodies bow in worship to His holiness and our spirits become the abode of His Holy Spirit.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
God's Excellent Way
I show to you a more excellent way:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass or tinkling cymbals...and though I understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to improve the lot of the poor...but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy the good fortune of another; love does not exult itself or behave inappropriately; love is not easily provoked to anger or unkindness; love does not think evil of another. Love does not take pleasure in sin but love rejoices in truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. LOVE NEVER FAILS. GOD IS LOVE (I John 4:8). JESUS WILL NEVER FAIL YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass or tinkling cymbals...and though I understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to improve the lot of the poor...but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy the good fortune of another; love does not exult itself or behave inappropriately; love is not easily provoked to anger or unkindness; love does not think evil of another. Love does not take pleasure in sin but love rejoices in truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. LOVE NEVER FAILS. GOD IS LOVE (I John 4:8). JESUS WILL NEVER FAIL YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Transform the Ordinary
May 1
Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden
Marden's advice may not always seem practical but it certainly does give us a daily dose of inspiration toward achieving the utmost our mind and heart and body and spirit will allow. How can a humble, ordinary day be transformed into something great when at its essence it is just an ordinary day? One thing we can do is to love greatly, for the Word tells us that “Love never fails,” I Corinthians 13:8.
We can begin each and every-same-old-same-old-day with the resolve that each person we greet—from the child awakened from slumber to the disgruntled boss to the harried stranger we pass at the grocery store—will be met with the unadulterated love of Christ in us! No matter how groggy or unresponsive they may be to the 'love bath' we pour over them, we must lavish them in love anyway! His love, poured through us, “covers a multitude of sins,” I Peter 4:8.
We must let our arrival at work be like the 'SON-shine bursting into a dark, overcast, storm-threatening sky, let our presence transform an ordinary, cloud-filled work place into a place where the Lord's love makes a difference in us—and in anyone who is wise enough to allow their gloom to be lifted by His presence within us.
As we interact with other people, either professionally, or socially, or casually, we must let them be bathed in the joy that reflects the One who is the reason for the joy within us. Let them see that, “The joy of the Lord is our strength,” Nehemiah 8:10. They will be aware that our joy does not originate within us or within the advantage of our circumstances.
It comes from our resolve to trust the Lord for what He’s promised! In so doing, we will have transformed an ordinary day with ordinary challenges and responsibilities into a day of extraordinary blessing for every life that touches ours—including our own!
Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden
Marden's advice may not always seem practical but it certainly does give us a daily dose of inspiration toward achieving the utmost our mind and heart and body and spirit will allow. How can a humble, ordinary day be transformed into something great when at its essence it is just an ordinary day? One thing we can do is to love greatly, for the Word tells us that “Love never fails,” I Corinthians 13:8.
We can begin each and every-same-old-same-old-day with the resolve that each person we greet—from the child awakened from slumber to the disgruntled boss to the harried stranger we pass at the grocery store—will be met with the unadulterated love of Christ in us! No matter how groggy or unresponsive they may be to the 'love bath' we pour over them, we must lavish them in love anyway! His love, poured through us, “covers a multitude of sins,” I Peter 4:8.
We must let our arrival at work be like the 'SON-shine bursting into a dark, overcast, storm-threatening sky, let our presence transform an ordinary, cloud-filled work place into a place where the Lord's love makes a difference in us—and in anyone who is wise enough to allow their gloom to be lifted by His presence within us.
As we interact with other people, either professionally, or socially, or casually, we must let them be bathed in the joy that reflects the One who is the reason for the joy within us. Let them see that, “The joy of the Lord is our strength,” Nehemiah 8:10. They will be aware that our joy does not originate within us or within the advantage of our circumstances.
It comes from our resolve to trust the Lord for what He’s promised! In so doing, we will have transformed an ordinary day with ordinary challenges and responsibilities into a day of extraordinary blessing for every life that touches ours—including our own!
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