Jesus is Lord!

Luke 13:24-30
He replied, 24 “The door to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get in, because many will try to enter, 25 but when the head of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. Then you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know you.’ 26 You will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you. Go away, all you who do evil.’ 28 “And there will be great weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets within the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. 29 Then people will come from all over the world to take their places in the Kingdom of God. 30 And note this: Some who are despised now will be greatly honored then; and some who are greatly honored now will be despised then.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Our measurement of God in our lives is not in what we own or how much we succeed according to the standards of this world.  Wealth is not a measurement of how pleased God is with your life; it is merely a gift and should be looked at it that way.  God does not “reward” us with health because we obey Him; He rewards us with spiritual health for our obedience.  Now that does not mean that God will not help us financially or heal us of our sickness, because He can.  But if He chooses not to heal us, we must understand that it is not a measure of His righteousness in us, but is a part of living for God in a sinful world.  God uses His power to accomplish His purposes through His people.  God doesn’t give you power or heal you to be all you want to be, but He gives you power and heals you to be all that He wants you to be. Because no matter where you are today, wealthy or poor, sick or healthy, it is all to be used for His glory and His purpose.  No matter where you are in this life, God can use you for His purposes.  Do not let your circumstances prevent you from being used by God for His purpose.  Do not be one of the many who will say, “But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.”  The heart of these people will not be Christ but will be for their own gain, even thought they “look” like they are serving Christ. Know Him, love Him, serve Him according to His purpose and do not let your circumstances hold you back.  God always has a work for you no matter what you are going through.  If we wait for perfect conditions, they will never come.  Remember God is more interested in your connection to Him than in your comfort. Make His will your primary desire and everything else will fall into place.

Have a God Day!

Psalm 118:24, 27-29
24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

27 God is the Lord, And He has given us light; 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.
29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

John 9:5
“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

1 Thessalonians 5:5
You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Every day the sun rises and we are given light by our heavenly Father. The glory of the Lord can be seen in each sunrise. Have you ever wondered about the word sun and Son? Each is light to us, one is light to live and the other is Light to live forever. When Christ was with us, He said He was the light of the world. But after He left all those who have Christ living in them are the light of the world. Only through Christ will anyone be taken out of darkness and into the Light. With Christ living in us, we have His righteousness and can reach out to all those in darkness around us. Christians are not of the darkness but are the Light of the world. We can rejoice everyday, as everyday is given to us by God. He has given us light in the form of a loving Savior. Image what would happen if we lost our sun? Every living thing on this planet would die. Exactly the same thing will happen to those without the Light of God in their lives, eternal darkness! The Son has also risen! Praise God!

Have a God Day!

Hebrews 5:11-14
11 There is so much more we would like to say about this. But you don’t seem to listen, so it’s hard to make you understand. 12 You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

As we begin our walk with Christ, we can not “chew” anything from the Word.  So our understanding is only the things we can swallow.  We learn about love, joy, answered prayer, blessings etc.  But this is only meant to be for a season, God calls us into deeper things and if we only look at what is easy to understand, we will never grow.  The Bible is the Word of God and He intends for us to fully understand all of it. This means moving from milk to meat.  The Word of God was meant to be chewed, swallowed and digested. If we live only on the milk of the Bible, we will never mature. God calls every person to never stop seeking more of Him in our lives. Christians should move from receiving to giving. Teaching others the Word of God will increase your knowledge of Him.  And the more we know, the more we live, the more we become like Him. Are you still sipping milk? If so, grow up and start chewing the meat the Bible has for you.  As you experience more of the Word, you will seek more of it.  Start now, you only have today and that is all that God wants.

Have a God Day!

James 1:19-27
19 My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Your anger can never make things right in God’s sight. 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.

When we know that Christ will return for His Church at any time, we tend to live our lives a lot differently. We are more inclined to live as Christ lived and to tell others of His love. Keeping His return in our thoughts will affect our actions. When we know we will have to stand before Him and give an account of what we did with the talents He gave us, we become doers of the Word. James is telling us to not just be hears of His Word but to put it into action. The recipe to applying God’s Word in our lives is to start with reading His Word obediently, then we follow God’s Word exclusively believing God’s Word totally and to study His Word continually. Proverbs 30:5 states, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” We are to walk submissively according to the Word of God because every word from God is without error. Some argue that man has added to it but God has been in control of His Word from the beginning. If you start to pick and choose the parts of His Word you think are true and throw out the parts you think are not true, then you put yourself in God’s place and become the author. All of God’s Word is for us to listen and obey. Anything that is added or taken away by man is not of God and will come under His judgment. Pray for His Spirit to guide you when you read and He will teach you as you walk in obedience.

Have A God Day!

Colossians 2:13-19
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. 15 In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.  16 So don’t anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself. 18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial. And don’t let anyone say you must worship angels, even though they say they have had visions about this. These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them proud. 19 But they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Our culture today encourages us to live by feelings and not by truth. Anything that feels good is advertised, idolized and focused on. We are told to always get our share and more. But this is contrary to the Word of God and as a Christian in today’s world; we are to be joined to the Body of Christ. This means denying self and putting on Christ. Self indulgence will weaken your life and pull you farther away from becoming the person God intended. When we live to please our own desires, we will get just that. Sin is always appealing for a season but will not last and we will pay for it in the end. Galatians 6:8 states, “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”  We can only live to please the Spirit through the power of the Spirit living within us. If the power of this world is in control of our lives, we will not be connected to the Body of Christ and can not please the Spirit. To maintain spiritual strength, we must discipline our desires. Live your life controlled by God’s will, not by your own human desires. Receive your strength from God by staying connected to him. Know his Word, live his Word, and you will grow only as you get your nourishment and strength from God.

Have a God Day!

Galatians 2:17-21
17 But what if we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we are still sinners? Has Christ led us into sin? Of course not! 18 Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God’s approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. 20 I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

No matter how intelligent we are, our brains do not have the capacity to understand God’s wisdom. His thoughts are higher than ours and we are very limited in our understanding. So, there are many things we do not know or understand about Him. We have to walk in faith and trust in the directions that God has given us. God in His infinite wisdom created us in an environment where we have a choice to love and surrender to Him or go our own way and live life on our own terms. But what if we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we still sin? Isn’t this where we all find ourselves? We are saved by grace and made right with God but still sin. Did God give us wrong directions? Of course not! We just cannot understand His way but we know that it is His way. Those in Christ see sin and remove it those outside of Him continue on and sin more. God gives us the choice every day to follow Him or to sin.  It is always our choice. To be a part of Christ means that we are to crucify our sinful self daily. And when our sin is revealed to us by the Spirit working in us, we surrender and turn from that sin. But sin keeps popping up and we have to continually keep nailing it to the Cross of Christ. And so the journey continues and continues. This is God’s way and who are we to say it isn’t what we would have chosen. The power comes in the surrender. The more we surrender and trust in God, the more we know Him. And the more we know Him, the more we love Him. And the more we love Him, the more we want to please Him and the less we sin. We will ever get to a point of not sinning? Probably not, but as we continue to trust and grow, God is preparing us for that day when we are complete in Him. Look forward to that day and trust His wisdom as you move on toward that day!

Have a God Day!

John 17:9-21
9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you; and you have given them back to me, so they are my glory! 11 Now I am departing the world; I am leaving them behind and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them and care for them-all those you have given me-so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I have kept them safe. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 “And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours. 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. 21 My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father-that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Published, Inc.) 1996.

There is something comforting in knowing that Christ prayed for us before He left this world. In fact, He is before the Father right now bringing your requests to Him as stated in Romans 8:34, “It is Christ who died; and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God; who also makes intercession for us.”  He wants you to be holy as He was holy. To be holy is to be set apart from sin. He has given us the words of the Father that we might be holy and full of His joy. Intimate contact with Jesus Christ is the source of true joy. It is the prayer of Christ that we stay connected to Him. We already have forgiveness for our sins through Christ’s death on the Cross, but we need a daily application of God’s Word to purify our hearts and minds. Scripture points out our sin, motivates us to confess and renews our relationship with Christ. Is there joy and peace in your life? Is there any measure of holiness? If not, look at your connection to Jesus Christ. Are you more connected to this world than to Christ? Remember, our true source of power is from Christ. And just like a lamp will not give out light unless it is plugged into an electrical socket, so our lives will not give out the light of Christ if we are not plugged into Him. Turn to Jesus and plug into Him everyday and you will have power to live in this world of sin and pain. This is the prayer of Jesus Christ for you.

Have a God Day

Luke 12:35-39
35 “Be dressed for service and well prepared, 36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 There will be special favor for those who are ready and waiting for his return. I tell you, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! 38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, there will be special favor for his servants who are ready! 39 “Know this: A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would not permit the house to be broken into. 40 You must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Jesus repeatedly said He would return back to the earth.  Those who are ready and waiting for Him will be rewarded with special favor.  Since no one knows exactly when He will return we should be ready for Him to come every day.  This could be the day He returns for His Bride.  Those who are ready are those who know Him.  Are you ready today for Him to return?  This is a question we should ask ourselves every day.  To be ready means that we are walking in obedience to His Word.  It means we believe Him and live according to His purpose.  Christ’s return at an unexpected time is not a trap or a trick by which God hopes to catch us off guard.  God gave us many signs of His returning and just as people knew He was coming the first time, many are ready for Him today. We are ready because we know what the Word of God says about His return.  It could happen at any moment and in fact on God’s timeline, His return is the next event to happen.  Prepare your life today for this event and don’t be one of those who were taken by surprise at His return.  You have His Word and He has given us plenty of warning.  Don’t be one of those who knew their duty, but refused to do it.  Be prepared by living in obedience to Him and receive all that Christ has for you into this world and the next.

Have a God Day!

1 John 5;6-13
6 This is He who came by water and blood Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

The Gospels twice declare that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, once at His baptism (Matthew 3:16, 17) and at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:5). But John is giving us a clearer picture of who God really is. There are three witnesses in heaven, the Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit and these three are one. When we get to the end of Revelation we read that Christ will come back to earth and live as the ruler of the world during the Millennium. But after the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, God the Father will come and live with us along with the Spirit. The world will be rebuilt for the reign of Christ, but will be created completely new for God the Father living with the Church and all of those who lived through the tribulation and the Millennium. And all of these will have the Son. Today only those who have accepted God the Father’s plan through the Word will live with Him forever. As the Day grows closer, life in Jesus Christ will become more difficult. To speak your faith today is not too difficult, but to speak your faith in Jesus Christ is very difficult.  Today you can mention God anywhere, but mention Jesus and you are being too narrow and are to exclusive. Those who proclaim faith in Christ Jesus and only through Christ Jesus will have to become bolder in stating their faith. As the Day of His coming grows closer it will become more and more difficult. Stand strong in your faith and do not waiver or become inclusive. The is only one Way to God and that is through Christ Jesus. We are to treat all people with respect and love all people, but stand firm on the Word that states, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
 
Have a God Day!

Luke 11:9-12
9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. 11 “You fathers-if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Do you get discouraged when you think God is not answering your prayers? Or when you think He is not even hearing you when you pray?  Many of us do, but many times it is not that God is not answering our prayers, it is that our prayers are not centered on His will for our lives.  We make plans and then ask God to bless them after we have decided what we want.  Luke 12:21 states, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” The most important thing we can do or desire is a closer relationship with Jesus.  This is what God desires most from us.  And if we are making plans and doing what we think is best for us, then our prayers will reflect our will and not His.  And this may be the reason for unanswered prayers.  God is not going to give us that which would take us away from what He wants most for us and that is a relationship with Him.  But that means that we live according to His purpose for our lives and not ours.  That should be the focus of our prayers.  Jesus said it best when He was asking God the Father to take the cup of punishment He was about to drink away from Him.  But His prayer was if it is possible, not make it happen because it is what I want.  His ultimate prayers was “Your will be done.”  If God the Father did not spare even His own beloved Son, how much more do you think you will be spared from the trails of this life?  Going through that trail trusting in His will may be the best thing that ever happens to you.  It may make you stronger in His strength and more like Christ.  So accept where you are today and start from this place and seek to know what He wants you to do and not what you want Him to do for you.  Be strong in the power of the Spirit that live is in you and not the spirit of this world. And never stop seeking and asking for more of Him.

Have a God Day!