Jesus is Lord!

Ephesians 4:9-16
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This means that Christ first came down to the lowly world in which we live. 10 The same one who came down is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that his rule might fill the entire universe. 11 He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, 13 until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Everyone in the body of Christ has been given gifts by God. There is not a one of us who have not received a gift or two. A gift to use for service to Him. Only Christ has the power and ability to give these gifts. And Paul tells us what some of them are, but this list only covers a small portion of them because there are many more. But the apostles, teachers, pastors and evangelist are given the responsibility to equip the church to bring her to maturity. We are the church and we have two commissions from Christ in these verses: first we all have gifts and we are to use them to bring the rest of the body of Christ to maturity, second as a part of the body, we are to bring ourselves to maturity. We need to be strong in Christ so we will not be tossed around by the winds of this world. If you are not using the gifts given to you by God, you will not grow. There isn’t one Christian who is exempt from service, all are required to do his part in the body of Christ. We are all to work together to strengthen the body and to complete the work Christ has laid before us, that of spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Are you still an infant being tossed around by the winds of this world? Then start using the gifts given to you to strengthen the body or to bring others into the body? See what a difference it will make in you and your walk with Christ.

Have a God Day!

Matthew 9:1-8
Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven.” 3 “Blasphemy! This man talks like he is God!” some of the teachers of religious law said among themselves. 4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? 5 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’? 6 I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!” 7 And the man jumped up and went home! 8 Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. They praised God for sending a man with such great authority.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

God is more interested in making us spiritually healthy than He is in making us physically healthy. The bodies we live in our decaying and dying more and more every day and will eventually go back to the dust they are. But our spirit will live forever either in heaven or in hell. And even though God wants our bodies to be healthy, He is more interested in a healthy soul. If you are praying for physical health today, keep on praying because that is what you should do. But seek spiritual health first because that is more important. That is why Jesus told this man his sins were forgiven before He physically healed Him. If you have not receive the healing of your body, trust God that He is doing a work in your soul and that is more important to Him. Trust that He will heal your body but also know that He is more interested making changes in your heart and wants your focus to be on Him and not on your body. God can heal your body but more important, He can heal your soul and give you right standing with God the Father. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all of these things will be given to you!

Have a God Day!

James 1:21-27
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls. 22 And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. 23 For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law-the law that sets you free-and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Many find it easy and comfortable to maintain the appearance of being committed without a deep and sincere loyalty to God. Religious acts or rituals can help you to understand God, but without a sincere commitment to doing His will, they mean nothing. That is why God instituted circumcision and the sacrificial system in the Old Testament and baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the New. But religious ritual is helpful only if it is carried out with an attitude of love for and obedience to God. If a person’s heart is far from God, ritual will become empty mockery. God doesn’t want your “acts” of religion; He wants your actions of His will. Hosea 6:6 states, “I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that’s more important than burnt offerings.” God told the Old Testament people that He did not want their sacrifices, He wanted their heart. Because a heart that loves Him is a heart that will obey Him. The actions that come out of a heart that loves Him will be for Him and not to Him. Pretense of love is not love at all. God desires your sincere love and the relationship that comes out of that love will keep you safe within His love. Don’t just go through the motions of serving Him. Search your heart and read His Word to know Him and you will love Him because of His great love for you!

Have a God Day!

Hosea 3:1-3
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the Lord still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods, offering them choice gifts.” 2 So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and about five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. 3 Then I said to her, “You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual intercourse with anyone, not even with me.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

The book of Hosea shows an illustration of how the people of Israel had given themselves over to the worship other gods. Hosea married Gomer knowing that she would be unfaithful to him. Although Hosea had good reason to divorce Gomer, God told him to buy her back and to love her. Just as He would bring Israel back from exile and love her. Apparently Gomer had been gone awhile and needing to support herself, she had either sold herself into slavery or had become the mistress to another man. In either case, Hosea had to pay to get her back, although the amount was pitifully small. Gomer was not worth much to anyone except Hosea, but he loved her just as God loved Israel. How Hosea bought Gomer back is just how God bought us back from the sin we were in. No matter how low we sink, God is willing to buy us back, to redeem us, and to lift us up again. Sometimes we think that we have sinned too much for God to love us, but not many of us have been as low as Gomer was and yet God will still receive us, if we come to Him. We are never without hope because there is nothing we can do that will ever separate us from the love that God showed to us when He died on a cross to save us from our sin. Nothing separates you from God except your own pride. No sin, no deed, no stupid mistake can keep Gods love from you. Only you keep Him away by not accepting His love. So understand and accept all that God has for you by turning to Him for whatever it is you need. And He will always take you back, no matter where you have been.

Have a God Day!

1 Chronicles 29:10-15
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a shadow, gone so soon without a trace.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

As a Christians, we need to realize that stewardship is our choice. God does not make us do anything we do not want to do. When our desires line up with the Word of God and His truth, then we see God move into our lives and do great and mighty things. We must acknowledge who owns everything in the world and who is responsible to take care of it. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” By knowing that God owns everything, we understand what our place is and that He expects us to honor Him as owner and then to do His will by managing all of the things He has given us. When we put God in His right place, we open the windows of heaven for His blessings to be showered upon us. But only when we are in right connection to Him. If we think it is by our own hand that we have a good job or a nice house, we are putting ourselves above God and we operate under a closed window from heaven. How do you respond to the fact that everything you process, belongs to God? Whatever your answer will determine whether you are functioning under a closed window or an open window from heaven. Open the windows of God’s blessings by honoring Him as owner of all that you have!

Have a God Day!

2 Corinthians 9:3-5
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. 5 With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

The proud arguments and strongholds that Paul is talking about are within our minds. They are the wrong teachings we have been taught about God. Parents and teachers have influenced what we think of God. Right or wrong, everything we have learned about God is programmed in our minds. Sometimes we need to be de-programmed. If we see God as a judgmental disciplinary that is just waiting for us to do wrong so He can punish us, then we may have trouble accepting His unconditional love. God has given us a clear picture of Himself and His love through Jesus Christ. Our picture of Him is skewed by our past experiences and interaction with those in authority over us. These are strongholds in our minds that need to be torn down and replaced with the truth. That is why Paul is telling us we can not fight this with human weapons but must use spiritual weapons. Ephesians 6:11 tells us, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.” Satan will use these false perceptions of God in your mind to keep you from receiving all that God has intended for you. We need to break these strongholds down with the truth of God. The truth is in God’s Word. Know His Word. And ask God to tear down these strongholds and fill your mind with His truth.

Have a God Day!

Matthew 7:21-27
21 “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.’ 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

There will come a day for each of us, when every action every thought and every word will have to stand before the Lord. We will have to give account for the things that we said, did, and thought in this life. For those who are covered by the Blood of Christ, this will not include our sin only the work we did for the Lord. But for everyone else, every deed, every word, every thought will come under the judgment of God. And many call Him “Lord” but He will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” The issue is not that they knew about Christ but did they believed in Him and obeyed the Father in heaven. Christ wants us to do what is right not just say it. What you do can not be separated from what you believe. And what you give will show what you believe. Those who just “know” about Christ but do not “live” Christ will have to stand before Him in judgment. On that day only our relationship with Christ, our acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior and our obedience to Him will matter. Being “good” will have nothing to do with it. Practice obedience to “live” Christ to the world around you and you will hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant!”

Have a God Day!

Isaiah 49:24-26
24 Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives go? 25 But the Lord says, “The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children. 26 I will feed your enemies with their own flesh. They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood. All the world will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

It is important to remember that we are not at war with flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” As a child of God, we are in a spiritual battle, sometimes for our own understanding and sometimes for the understanding of those in darkness. For our loved ones living in darkness, the words of Isaiah apply, they will be set free. God tells us that He will fight for those that we fight for and God will save our children! To penetrate the minds of those who live in darkness, we need to expose them to the Light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to reach beyond the level of their flesh and blood and go into the battle where it is. And the battle is in the their minds and while they are in darkness the best way to reach them is on this battlefield. We pick up our sword and fight the enemy with his own weapons and bind those in darkness to Light of Christ. We continue to fight until they are no longer in darkness but living in the Light of the love of God. All our prayers have a cumulative impact, for our prayers which are according to the will of God are NEVER without effect. So claim the promises of God and continue to fight for those you love who are in darkness and NEVER give up, for God will save your children!

Have a God Day!

Hebrews 9:11-15
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. 12 Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, so that all who are invited can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Animal sacrifices were God’s Old Testament way for people to ask for forgiveness for their sins. Since creation God has made it clear that sin separates people from Him, and that those who sin deserve to die. Death was the penalty for sin. Because “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), God designed sacrifice as a way to come to Him for forgiveness. Man needed to restore his relationship with God because sin has separated us from Him. Because He is a God of mercy and love, He decided from the very first that He would come into the world and die to pay the penalty for all humans. The Old Testament people had to come regularly and offer perfect animals as a stand in for their sin. Those before Christ looked forward to the work Christ would accomplish on the cross. The Son of God, who is God, became a human and gave His life as a stand in for our sin. Now all people can be freed from the penalty of sin by simply believing in Jesus and accepting the forgiveness He offers. There is no longer a need for continual sacrifices because Christ has died for our sin once and for all. When we come before God and admit we are sinners and accept the sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave for our sin, God will reconcile us to Himself and we are immediately made right before God the Father. We now have God’s assurance that we are His forever. Peace is a result of this and we give our lives back to Him in service because of His incredible love for us. At salvation, we are given the righteousness of Christ and the process of sanctification begins. Our mind, will and our emotions are being made into His image and will be complete when we are with Him. Sanctification is a continual process that will never be complete here on earth, but we rest in His arms knowing He is doing the work in us.

Have a God Day!

Romans 12:6-13
6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. 13 When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Paul is giving final instructions to the Christians of Rome. They were living in a city where it was illegal to be Christian and Paul is telling them to live above the sin that is all around them. One of the questions they asked was, “How long should we keep praying?” Paul tells them to be patient when in trouble and to always be prayerful. In other words, never stop praying. This still applies to Christians today. We are always to pray or be communicating with our Lord. But in regards to a specific prayer, we stop asking when we receive an answer from God. But then we always move onto the next need. And since we will always have needs, we never stop praying. But prayer is more than just asking God for what we need; it is spending time with our Lord. He wants our worship and love. Matthew 6:33 tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” When we put God first in our lives, all of the other things will be given to us. The other things we need. So, do the work given to you by God with the gifts He has given you and never stop praying. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your mind and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Demonstrate your love through the actions you do and the love of God in you will show in your life to all people around you.

Have a God Day!