Jesus First Place, The Only Place

Colossians 1:16-18 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

James MacDonald says, "You will never experience the fullness of joy that you were created to know until Jesus Christ has first place in every area of your life." This statement carries the question, "Is He?" Is Jesus first place in every area of my life? My answer is simple yet complex. I would for sure say that my desire is to have Christ first place in every area of my life. However reality is that this is true from time to time because of my lack of surrender in a given area of my life. At times I hold to tightly to things or people or situations and not allow Christ to be first in them. Call it a lack of trust or faith or whatever, but bottom line is that I am selfish and a sinner who spirit is willing but flesh is weak. However I think the important thing here is not perfection but as Paul said in Philippians, "straining toward what is ahead." Am I straining to move forward in my relationship with Christ, am I straining toward Christ being first place in my life. While I agree with James on experiencing the fullness of joy I am not sure that is possible here on earth. That fullness will become fully experienced in Heaven in the very presence of Jesus and with sin completely absent. Today may I strive to make Christ first in every area of life, may I strain toward being completely aware of areas that He is not and then strain to make Him first.

Father I need your strength, because in my own strength I will fail. I long for Christ to be first in order to experience the fullness of joy that comes from following Him.

Heart of the Matter

John 14:1-4 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

Wow God's timing is great and always blows me away. Just arrived in Miami late last night and found out at 2am that one of my student lost something very important possibly on the plane or the bus that brought us from the airport. Then I read this verse this morning. "Let not your heart be troubled", which also could read "Let not your heart be agitated, or disturbed, or thrown into confusion." Wow isn't God good, He always speaks right to the heart of the matter. Trusting Him always takes being intentional, always takes action on my part. I don't know what is going to happen, I have no idea, my hope and prayer is that just as easily as it was lost we will find it. But whatever happens I hope that through it all I will trust God and not let my heart be troubled. Today as I face the uncertainty of it, I pray that I will keep my focus on the one thing that really matters, Jesus. It's funny but as I have been praying for this week in Miami my prayer is that with every circumstance I will see it as God working and trying to teach me.

Father teach me today to more fully trust you and to follow hard after you today. You are good and thank you for the promise you have shown today that you are in control and will work it out. Keep my eyes fixed on you and what you want to do in my life and the students lives.

Show Me God

Matthew 5:43-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Wow this passage is so chalked full of truth. There are so many things to which I could focus on but this morning I just want to pull from this passage different characteristics of God. That is the beauty of God's Word is that we find many truths and principles that we can apply to our lives. But the reason is that each one points to a characteristic of God. For example verse 44 shows us the compassion, mercy, grace and unconditional love of God. In verse 45 we see God's omnipotenence, righteousness, and that he is just. In verse 46 we see that He does not show favoritism. Verse 47 shows me His compassion for the lost and desire to reach them. In verse 48 we see His holiness and His desire for us to pursue that holiness. One of the amazing things about the Word is that it is alive and active and that as I read this passage these are the things that God shows me about Himself. But for someone else they could read this passage and see other characteristics. However what we need to understand is that all throughout scripture God reveals himself to us. The question is am I looking for Him as I read? Today as I meditate on God's Word may I see who God really is and what He desire for my life.

Father today help me to have the eyes to see you, the heart to pursue you and the mind to know you more.

So You Wanna Be A Disciple?

Matthew 9:9-13 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Being a disciple of Christ seems like a pretty amazing calling and it is. However are we not all called to be disciples. Jesus Himself said if you want to be my disciple you must deny yourself, take up the cross and follow me daily. Even Matthew a tax collector(sinner), rejected by his own people, became a disciple of Christ. Really if you look at the 12 that Jesus hand picked, one was a doubter, one was a betrayer, and one was a denier. Sound familiar, feel any connection to one or all of these guys? Yet Jesus knowing full well what each would do still chose them and poured into their lives. How often do I judge someone and maybe even wright them off like the Jews did with Matthew and not give someone a chance? Oh how I wish I could see people like Jesus saw them and treat people like Jesus treated them. Today may the Lord fill me with compassion and mercy that I might see in others the potential of following Christ just as I desire to follow Him.

Father I need your eyes and heart to see others the way you see them. May I give others a chance to follow you, just as you have given me a chance over and over to follow you.

Walk By Faith

Romans 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith.

When I put my faith and trust in Christ and accepted His substitution for my payment of sin, I was given a gift. That gift is righteousness or forgiveness. As a result of forgiveness I am cleansed of my sin and set free from the slavery that sin can and will bring. All of this comes through faith which is the combination of confession and belief that leads to action. Righteousness is right living and in the case of our relationship with Christ is the desire to follow after Him. "The righteous will live by faith", faith leads us to confession and belief each and every day. Even though I have been forgiven does not mean that I will not sin. As I walk with Christ and choose sin over righteousness I must be willing to confess that sin and believe that God has forgiven me and that I am no longer under its control. But faith should lead me to hunger after Christ and to resist temptation more and more each day. Today I want to know Christ more and pray that I am willing to deal with sin as Christ reveals it to me.

Father I want to live by faith and hunger after knowing you more. As you bring sin to light may I be quick to deal with it and able to walk with you more closely.

Bread

John 6:32-35 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." 35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Bread for sure is one of my favorite foods. I would say that probably my all time fav is the bread at Biaggi's, absolutely amazing. I seriously cannot get enough of it when I have the opportunity to eat. Jesus here in this passage calls Himself "The Bread of Life." While I have a great liking of bread it should pale in comparison to my love of Christ and desire to take in His Word (the Bible). According to Erwin Lutzer, "There are some things that are more important than eating; indeed, it is better to starve within the will of God, then to eat and be satisfied apart from it." To often this is the problem is that I want to live life apart from the will of God. There are times that I do not seek Christ and spend time in His Word. Once I have truely tasted of "The Bread of Life" the desire in my heart should grow to have more and more. Oh how I want my hunger for God to grow and that my appetite would never be satisfied.

Father give me a spiritual appetite for you that can never be completely filled so that I have always hungering after you.

Following

Ephesians 5:8-10 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.

At the point of Salvation we seek to surrender our lives to Christ and follow Him. However we do not know what exactly that look likes. Salvation begins with recognizing that I am a sinner and that there is a penalty for my sin. That penalty is death and eternal separation from God. Salvation is the beginning of recognizing that God the father sent His son to pay my debt for Salvation through His death. I then accept that the gift that God gives through Christ and begin to follow Him. But what does that look like and this becomes the process of finding out just how to follow Christ. How do I find out? It's through reading the Bible and then as we find out what to do we do it. Obedience is key to the process of following Christ. Today as I walk with God my prayer is that obedience will mark my life.

Father give me the determination to follow after you and may I be obedient to whatever it is that you teach me today.

I Will Believe If.....

Deuteronomy 29:2-5 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. 4 But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. 5 During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.

I wonder how many times that I have seen God work in my life and yet my faith waivers much like the Israelites. They saw God do amazing things like what is described in the passage above and yet they often would forget God and turn to false gods and to things that would take them away from their first love. How many times do people say, "I will believe if... God will just...." And then when that time comes they instead turn from God. Oh how often I have done the same thing. I just don't get it, God has done so many amazing things and yet I turn to things that pull me away from Him. Why? This is not my hearts desire, this is not what I want but like Paul I do what I don't want to do, but don't do what I know I need to do. Today as I see God at work I pray that I would be drawn to Him and that my eyes would be focused on Him as I strive to serve Him.

Father I need to see you today, give me eyes to see you, a heart to know you, ears to hear you and willingness to obey.

I am "Christian" Big Deal

Luke 6:43-45 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

So many people today call themselves "Christian", yet they are no more a true follower of Christ than a black cat would be a skunk just because you paint a white strip on it's back. Many people claim to know God but there is no proof of a relationship with Him through His son Jesus. I know because for many years I claimed the same thing until I realized that all I had was head knowledge and no heart experience and there simply was no proof of life. As in this passage Jesus makes it clear that those who follow Him will have evidence (fruit) in their lives that is a dead give away that they follow Him. Man I want people to see Christ in me and if I am called a Christian great, if not so be it, I just want to be known as a follower of Christ.

Father give me strength today to live for you and may others see in me in your son.

Fruit

Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

These characteristics or fruit describe the very nature of Christ. They are to be evident in my life. However this does not come from me somehow trying to produce these things but rather Christ in me doing His work. I must allow Him to do the work. I must give Him control, I must daily surrender to Him and allow Him to live in me. For if I am in Christ I am a dead man already because I have been crucified with Him. He makes me alive, He brings new hope, He is the one who lives in and through me. Today Lord may your fruit be seen in my life. May others know that I follow you.

Father help me to surrender to you so that you can live through me today.

Rest

Psalm 23:2-3 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Rest is not something that I do very well. Actually I down right stink at just chillin out and taking a load off. I don't know if you have ever had the chance to just walk through or lie down in a green pasture or maybe your lawn, but I remember as a kid my brothers and I would run out into the middle of a hay field and just lay down and look up. It was awesome we would see passing clouds and declare a shape for each one or we would see an airplane and wonder where it was going and how many people were on board. But it was amazing. I don't know if you have ever walked along a rivers bank or a large body of water but it is again awesome and peaceful all at the same time. There is something about rest that restores me when I would take the time. It restores me physically, it restores me mentally, it restores me emotionally and most importantly spiritually. Over the past couple of months I have been practicing rest in the morning by just chillin with my Bible and God and spending some time seeking Him. It has been some of the best time of my life spiritually as the Lord restores me each morning before heading off to face a great big ugly world. It is interesting that after all the restful things that the Lord does in this passage, the psalmist says, "he guides me in path's of righteousness." Maybe what David is telling me is that rest will lead to being able to hear guides voice as he directs me in life and that I am more likely to make right choices. Today may I find times of rest in order that Christ might guide me to live a holy and righteous life that would reflect Him to those around me.

Father today may you help me to rest. May I not make excuses for not resting. May I find myself making decisions that would honor you and exalt your name.