Colossians 2:6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, walk in Him.
Walk in Him, what an amazing phrase yet one that I so often take for granted as I walk through this life. I take it for granted because so often I find myself trying to live life on my own. Trying to do righteous things without Christ strength or guidance and I often find myself floundering and not really accomplishing much. It is when I know that I am being directed and that walking is in His strength that I find rest and success. I think Hebrews 12:1-1 really sums it up for me that I must throw off the sin that so easily gets me tangled up and slows down my walk and fix my eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of my faith. I must as 1 Corinthians 9 says run in such a way as to get the prize. Today as get up and walk this road called life may I find myself doing so in Christ strength and with Him as my guide.
Father take my hand today and lead me along life's road so that I might go where you want me to go and do what you want me to do.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Leaping Like A Calf
Malachi 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
If you have ever watched a calf leap around like a crazy animal than you can appreciate this verse. Really any animal that gets let out of it's cage or stall begins to do a little jigg upon release. There is something about freedom that gives way to joy and expression of that joy. Spiritual freedom should give us even more reason to celebrate, even more reason to be filled with joy. I know that the day I surrendered my life to Christ and sought forgiveness for my sin by accepting Christ sacrifice I was set free from my cage of sin. The freedom that has followed has been amazing. The joy that has followed is unmatched. Has it been easy? No there have been some very serious difficult times that have followed but the son of righteousness has always brought me through and given me even more reason to have joy. Today as I face whatever comes my way may I continue to fear the Lord and watch as He works out the details.
Father may I trust you in every situation. Thank you for setting me free through the sacrifice of Christ and allows me to experience a joy that cannot be matched apart from you.
If you have ever watched a calf leap around like a crazy animal than you can appreciate this verse. Really any animal that gets let out of it's cage or stall begins to do a little jigg upon release. There is something about freedom that gives way to joy and expression of that joy. Spiritual freedom should give us even more reason to celebrate, even more reason to be filled with joy. I know that the day I surrendered my life to Christ and sought forgiveness for my sin by accepting Christ sacrifice I was set free from my cage of sin. The freedom that has followed has been amazing. The joy that has followed is unmatched. Has it been easy? No there have been some very serious difficult times that have followed but the son of righteousness has always brought me through and given me even more reason to have joy. Today as I face whatever comes my way may I continue to fear the Lord and watch as He works out the details.
Father may I trust you in every situation. Thank you for setting me free through the sacrifice of Christ and allows me to experience a joy that cannot be matched apart from you.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Temporary or Eternal?
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Wow what a great verse as we are facing uncertain times today. Is it possible that God may have allowed this troubling time in order to bring us as believers back to a right relationship with Him and that through that others might see Christ at work in our lives again and desire to know Him more? Troubles will come and go, trials that may seem like an eternity are really only temporary, but the key is not what trouble may come but what result comes from being through one. During these difficult days we must as the verse says fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Those unseen things are what is eternal and obviously just as Hebrews 12 encourages us to do we must fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith. Do we really believe that God is in control? Do we really believe that God sees the bigger picture? Do we really believe that God has our best in mind? Our answers will be pivotal in determining our focus. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in God with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledge God and He will direct our paths. Have we been leaning on our own understanding or trusting God? We cannot have it both ways. One is temporary the other eternal. Today may we choose to follow what is eternal.Father give me eyes that see the eternal, give me a heart that desires to know you and willingness to trust you no matter the circumstances I find myself in today.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed On....
Psalm 5:3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
I have never been one that would dogmatically say that devotions should be done in the morning. However looking throughout scripture especially in Psalm and in Jesus life there is a definite pattern of seeking God in the morning. I personally dislike mornings, I guess you would say I am not a morning person. I used to use the excuse that I don't spend time with God in the morning because I can't think straight. But the real reason is cuz I want to sleep longer and be lazy. For me spending time with God in the morning is about sacrifice. It is hard for me to get up but I have never regreted getting up and spending time with God first thing in the morning. It is amazing to me how God throughout the day brings back to mind the things to which I read or heard in the morning. Honestly I feel better throughout the day at least mentally and spiritually when I do seek God in the morning. Whether I spend time with Him in the morning or not, I must spend time with Him, our relationship depends on it and that relationship must be first and foremost in my life.
Father as we meet together this morning thank you for the reminder of how important it is that we meet. As we meet help me to grow in my love for you and desire to serve you. Throughout today may I meditate on you and what you have shown me this morning.
I have never been one that would dogmatically say that devotions should be done in the morning. However looking throughout scripture especially in Psalm and in Jesus life there is a definite pattern of seeking God in the morning. I personally dislike mornings, I guess you would say I am not a morning person. I used to use the excuse that I don't spend time with God in the morning because I can't think straight. But the real reason is cuz I want to sleep longer and be lazy. For me spending time with God in the morning is about sacrifice. It is hard for me to get up but I have never regreted getting up and spending time with God first thing in the morning. It is amazing to me how God throughout the day brings back to mind the things to which I read or heard in the morning. Honestly I feel better throughout the day at least mentally and spiritually when I do seek God in the morning. Whether I spend time with Him in the morning or not, I must spend time with Him, our relationship depends on it and that relationship must be first and foremost in my life.
Father as we meet together this morning thank you for the reminder of how important it is that we meet. As we meet help me to grow in my love for you and desire to serve you. Throughout today may I meditate on you and what you have shown me this morning.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Out of This World
Proverbs 4:23-27 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Wow as I read this passage I am blown away at how difficult it is to live up to this exhortation. The world's influence is so unbelievable you can't go anywhere without being seemingly hit from every side. That is why practicing the actions of this verse are so important. However apart from God it is impossible to even be able to live up to this. But the Bible makes it clear that with Christ all things are possible and through His strength we can do all things. This is why pursuing God through a relationship is so vital to my life. Erwin Lutzer said, "Only when we are intoxicated with God will be inoculated against the world."
Father give me the desire to know you more and the determination to pursue you and the discipline to daily develop my relationship with you so that the world becomes less and less appealing and the influence of it becomes less and less.
Wow as I read this passage I am blown away at how difficult it is to live up to this exhortation. The world's influence is so unbelievable you can't go anywhere without being seemingly hit from every side. That is why practicing the actions of this verse are so important. However apart from God it is impossible to even be able to live up to this. But the Bible makes it clear that with Christ all things are possible and through His strength we can do all things. This is why pursuing God through a relationship is so vital to my life. Erwin Lutzer said, "Only when we are intoxicated with God will be inoculated against the world."
Father give me the desire to know you more and the determination to pursue you and the discipline to daily develop my relationship with you so that the world becomes less and less appealing and the influence of it becomes less and less.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Love and Marriage
I Corinthians 7:1-7 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
Wow I think I just found one of my new favorite passages of scripture, just kidding. In our sex crazed society and world I am glad that Paul reminds us just as he did the sex crazed society of Corinth that sex is for marriage and marriage only. Sex is a gift from God that should be cherised and protected. Unfortunately in our culture like in Corinth sex was more of a commodity than a gift. Verse 3 challenges me to fulfill my marital duty to my wife. But what is that duty? First I believe that it means I need to be very aware of her needs and what I can do to meet those by asking her regularly how I am doing and then put action to my inquiry. Second for me it's not just having sex but learning to make love without ever getting to the bedroom, by dating my wife and helping her see that she is beautiful and noticed. Third by being what I need to be spiritually so that I can love her as Christ loved the church. Fulfilling my marital duty to my wife is a privelege and great responsibility, one that brings honor to her and honor to God.
Father help me to fulfill my marital duty to my wife not because its just something I should do but because I long to obey you and grow in my love for you. As I fall more in love with you help me to fall more in love with my wife.
Wow I think I just found one of my new favorite passages of scripture, just kidding. In our sex crazed society and world I am glad that Paul reminds us just as he did the sex crazed society of Corinth that sex is for marriage and marriage only. Sex is a gift from God that should be cherised and protected. Unfortunately in our culture like in Corinth sex was more of a commodity than a gift. Verse 3 challenges me to fulfill my marital duty to my wife. But what is that duty? First I believe that it means I need to be very aware of her needs and what I can do to meet those by asking her regularly how I am doing and then put action to my inquiry. Second for me it's not just having sex but learning to make love without ever getting to the bedroom, by dating my wife and helping her see that she is beautiful and noticed. Third by being what I need to be spiritually so that I can love her as Christ loved the church. Fulfilling my marital duty to my wife is a privelege and great responsibility, one that brings honor to her and honor to God.
Father help me to fulfill my marital duty to my wife not because its just something I should do but because I long to obey you and grow in my love for you. As I fall more in love with you help me to fall more in love with my wife.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Get Your Cloths On
Galatians 3:26-29 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Each morning I get up and get ready to go about my day, one of the key essentials to that process is getting my cloths and then putting them on, because the alternative is not an option for so many reasons. As a believer it is absolutely important that I cloth myself with Christ each day. That I put on Christ through spending time in the Word, prayer and other practices that the Bible makes clear should be put on as well. However where the rubber meets the road is whether or not I allow these practices to impact the way I live my life. The Bible exhorts us to not only be listeners to the Word but we must put it into action. Here in lies the problem. So often I allow "time constraints" or some other excuse to keep me from getting clothed spiritually each morning. As a result I face my day naked, exposed. As I face the challenges of that day my mind is not thinking about what the Word says and how to live it, but rather what I think and how I am going to live and without fail, I fail.
Father give me the determination and discipline each day to cloth myself with you. Help me each day to cloth myself with you so that I might face the challenges of each day depending on you and your strength and not my own.
Each morning I get up and get ready to go about my day, one of the key essentials to that process is getting my cloths and then putting them on, because the alternative is not an option for so many reasons. As a believer it is absolutely important that I cloth myself with Christ each day. That I put on Christ through spending time in the Word, prayer and other practices that the Bible makes clear should be put on as well. However where the rubber meets the road is whether or not I allow these practices to impact the way I live my life. The Bible exhorts us to not only be listeners to the Word but we must put it into action. Here in lies the problem. So often I allow "time constraints" or some other excuse to keep me from getting clothed spiritually each morning. As a result I face my day naked, exposed. As I face the challenges of that day my mind is not thinking about what the Word says and how to live it, but rather what I think and how I am going to live and without fail, I fail.
Father give me the determination and discipline each day to cloth myself with you. Help me each day to cloth myself with you so that I might face the challenges of each day depending on you and your strength and not my own.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Love is In the Air
Ephesians 5:25-33
I love and dislike this passage simply because as I find it to be absolutely true I struggle in living up to it's instruction. I love this passage because very simply Paul instructs us to love our wives unconditionally. No where in the passage does it give room for feelings or circumstances another words it does not say love if you are loved, love if you feel like it or if your wife does something in return. However I find it interesting that most men focus on the last part of the last verse, "Wives respect your husbands." It's as if we put this as the qualifier for love, well if she would respect me then I will love her. What a terrible way to look at this passage. My wife should respect me because that is what the Bible instructs her to do but it does not say that I should love her because she respects me. I guarantee that if I love my wife as is described in this passage then respect will come so much easier for my wife as well as many other benefits. The problem is I am selfish and want it my way and my theme song becomes Frank Sinatra's hit "I Did It My Way." I want something in return for my hard work and instead of looking to God for that return I look to things around me, like sex for example. We should love whether we get anything in return from this life or not because that is how Jesus loved the church. My motivation for loving my wife should not be her, or the return but rather just simple obedience to Christ.
Father teach me to love my wife as you loved the church. May I learn each day to love her without expecting something in return. May my love for you grow and may that love cause me to love my wife more each day.
I love and dislike this passage simply because as I find it to be absolutely true I struggle in living up to it's instruction. I love this passage because very simply Paul instructs us to love our wives unconditionally. No where in the passage does it give room for feelings or circumstances another words it does not say love if you are loved, love if you feel like it or if your wife does something in return. However I find it interesting that most men focus on the last part of the last verse, "Wives respect your husbands." It's as if we put this as the qualifier for love, well if she would respect me then I will love her. What a terrible way to look at this passage. My wife should respect me because that is what the Bible instructs her to do but it does not say that I should love her because she respects me. I guarantee that if I love my wife as is described in this passage then respect will come so much easier for my wife as well as many other benefits. The problem is I am selfish and want it my way and my theme song becomes Frank Sinatra's hit "I Did It My Way." I want something in return for my hard work and instead of looking to God for that return I look to things around me, like sex for example. We should love whether we get anything in return from this life or not because that is how Jesus loved the church. My motivation for loving my wife should not be her, or the return but rather just simple obedience to Christ.
Father teach me to love my wife as you loved the church. May I learn each day to love her without expecting something in return. May my love for you grow and may that love cause me to love my wife more each day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)