When Things Go Wrong

When I logged in this morning to do today’s post, the site was not up. We use GoDaddy, so I was surprised to find they have no disaster recovery plan, apparently. I was told that 50% of the time people would be able to get to the site. Why do I mention this? Because I am so glzd that God is not like GoDaddy. God is available 100% of the time! Yeah!!!

Prayer
Father, thank You for always being there for us. Thank You for not having service interruptions. Thank You for being more reliable that we humans. In Jesus name. Amen

Pressing On, Pressing In

My wife and I were discussing this morning the various churches we have attended in our lifetimes. There were many good experiences. There were also some not so good where people went astray from the best God has for them. As we discussed this we also noticed that none of the churches we had attended had the five-fold ministries in action as we see in Ephesians 4:11. I told my wife that I think it is like taking a 110 volt appliance and plugging it in to a 220 volt socket. It just overloads. Here is the best part about the conversation – I came away encouraged. Why?

Because every church we have been at we have known some people who were there for more than just a social event. We have known people with a heart to serve God in a way that is inspiring. It is the body of believers, searching for their God, that encourages me.

Prayer
Father, I praise and exalt You for being the King of the universe. Thank You for reaching out to sinful man and saving us. Thank You for always trying to lead us on our way. Thank You for never letting our messing things up discourage You to the point of giving up on us. Please forgive us all. Please help us find our way. In Jesus name. Amen.

Turning The Ship

In prayer this morning God directed me to James 3:5. The scripture talks about how we have the power in our tongue like the bit in a horse’s mouth or the rudder on a ship to turn the entire body or structure. This scripture starts speaking about not everyone should want to be a teacher because the tongue is so powerful. James admonishes not to speak against others, that good and bad should not come from the same mouth. What encourages me here is that James assumes we understand that we have power in our speaking to our control our whole body. For me, that is a very powerful revelation. James goes on to say that no one will be perfect at it, or that is what I interpret him to be saying. That I understand because we are human, and I know for me personally I am not perfect. I make mistakes regularly, and have to keep looking to God to get me back on track. But for me it is so encouraging to know that I have God on my side and He has given me the power over my body. That power is in my tongue.

Prayer
Father, You are the King of the universe. We praise and exalt You for Your wisdom and Your truth. We need Your help. You have given us power over our very being in the form of our tongue. That is really at least a little bit scary. I know for me that I do not always get it right. Please help us move towards doing a better job of getting it right. Please help us guard our tongue and our speech. Help us to say and do the right things. In Jesus name. Amen.

No List Of Wrongs

Some things are just really helpful to me in my walk with God. I am encouraged to keep trying when I read scriptures like Psalm 78. In verse 38 it speaks about God forgiving the iniquity of the children of Israel when they sinned against Him. Before this and after this the psalmist recounts all the signs and wonders God did for them in the wilderness. They would walk away from God, but He would draw them back. At the end it speaks of David.

David had an interesting life. In the last few verses it speaks of God calling him from shepherding sheep to shepherding His people. This is the same David that had an affair with his neighbor’s wife and then had the man killed. God said in these last verses that He chose David because he would shepherd them according to the integrity of his heart. I am encouraged because God, unlike we humans, does not keep a list of wrongs, but rather looks for what is best in us, and works with us to get better.

Prayer
Father, thank You for not keeping a list of our wrong doings. Thank You for forgiveness. Thank You for always working with us toward getting things right and doing Your will. Thank You for being a good Dad. In Jesus name. Amen.

Cheers From The Crowd

I remember growing up playing sports that I was not the best at that I really wanted one thing – cheers from the crowd. Looking back I guess I just wanted someone to tell me I had done good. I wanted it to matter that I showed up. For me, I no longer care about the crowds, but I do care about being encouraged. That happened for me today.

In 1 John 2 we have a series of encouragements to us from John. The words say what it takes to serve God or to be a follower. We have to be like Jesus. As I read this passage this morning, I grieved a little because I know I fall very short of that mark. But as I read on I realized that John was not saying these things to condemn anyone. He was telling us what the mark was and then began to offer encouragement that God will not walk away, and that we can make it. The next time you read this passage, don’t feel condemned. Instead, imagin John on the sidelines, and he is shouting.

“Come on, you can do this thing! I know you can! Go, go, go!!!”

Prayer
Father, I thank You that You hear us. I thank You that You never walk away. I thank You that You are right by our side saying, “You can do this!” We love You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Don’t Be Discouraged

It’s funny how some days we seem to have a great deal on our minds, and other days not so much. As I thought about this being the beginning of the work week for many, I wanted to come up with something to encourage myself and others. The first thing I thought of was, don’t be discouraged. Life is big. Big enough that at times it can be overwhelming. Don’t let it.

God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man, that He should repent, according to Numbers 23:19. He will do exactly what He has said. He will make good on what He has spoken. He grants us forgiveness and cleansing from our iniquity that we might be able to draw close to Him. In Psalms 91 He declares He will protect us. In Psalm 113 He declares He raises the poor and the needy out of the dust and the ash heap and sets them with the princes. In Psalms 116 He declares He will grant salvation. In Luke 4:17-20 Jesus said He preached the gospel to the poor; that He came to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to provide the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. God does not lie. These belong to you and to me. We must only ask, believe, and trust.

Prayer
Father, I thank You for Your provision for us through the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus. We are lifted from the dust, offered salvation and forgiveness, and the opportunity to be with You always. We are so blessed that You are God and not a man. Please grant forgiveness and wholeness to Your people today, Father. In Jesus name. Amen.

We Can Do This!

It occurred to me this morning that God, who is always on our side, is a good King. A bad king, a bad ruler, would give the people tasks that were impossible or nearly impossible. This would be like the ruler in Egypt as Moses was born that ordered the male children killed twice. It would be like Herod that killed all the young boys in an attempt to kill Jesus. Bad kings, bad rulers, do bad to their subjects. That is really how the devil treats us. But God is a good King. He gives us life, and the power to live it.

When I thought about these things, I began to just sing words of praise. They were not words to any song, just words of praise to a tune (as good a tune as I can sing anyway). It was like Psalm 118, where the psalmist is singing praise to God for Hi mercy. The sound of victory was heard in my tent this morning! It helped me continue to think good things, to think of God, and I bet He was liking it, too! We can do this!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High, the One True King of the universe. Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for being on our side in the struggle we call life. Thank You for lifting us up that we might have joy and praise Your name forever! In Jesus name. Amen.

Building A Better Future

Today in the United States we have a day in remembrance of all of the people that served in our military called Memorial Day. It sounds like memory, or remembering. While we do want to appreciate anyone that has given a part of their life, or even given their life, to help or save others, it is also a time of sad reflection, I suggest. Those that faced battle know more than any of us the memory of war and struggle of man against man. We do want to be thankful, but at the same time there is also a certain sadness. Perhaps what I am trying to say was best siad by Israel’s Golda Meir at a press conference in 1969, “When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.” It is sad when anyone dies, especially when killed by another human. When I was a young man I thought that it should not happen. As an older person I now see that it will continue to happen until the Messiah returns. A sad truth, but it encourages me to pray for His speedy return. In that light, I still say a thank you to all the brave men and women that have served in our military.

Prayer
Father, please reach out to Your people today. Help those that have seen battle be able to remember only the comradery and forget the sadness. Help us to not rejoice in the death of our enemies, but to rather rejoice in Your deliverance for those that seek You. Please help all men and women everywhere find You and devote their t]life to You. Please give us all peace. In Jesus name. Amen.

Who Does God Help?

Growing up in the Midwest, it was a common heard phrase, “God helps those that help themselves.” It was in the Good Book, or so my relatives told me. By that they meant it was in the bible. The trouble was I could never find it. I found out later it is a quote that is attributed frequently to Ben Franklin and actually predates Ben… but not in the bible. So who does God help? It is reasonable to ask, because knowing the answer might mean that I could be the person that God helps. That would be great!

In the scriptures over and over again what we see is that God helps those that cannot help themselves. The Psalms, for example, are filled with the Psalmist crying out to God for help when the world is turning in on him. That does not sound like someone helping themselves. The one thing I do see is that we are to trust in God. We are to find delight in His commands, statutes, and precepts. We are to call upon the name of His Son for our salvation and wholeness. So what can we conclude? Well, if admitting that we are sinners, hopelessly lost, and asking for and receiving forgiveness, followed by a life trying to find God’s way everyday, calling out to Him everyday, spending time with Him everyday…if doing those things is called helping ourselves, then God does help those that help themselves. Let’s do our part. Let’s call upon Him today!

Prayer
Father, we call upon You today to reach out and be our ever present help in times of trouble. Show us Your mercy and Your truth today. Help us to walk in Your ways today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Where Courage Comes

As I thought this morning about the word, encouragement, I tried to think about what it means just by its sound. To me, it sounded like something that someone does, as if they were trying to place courage into us. It just sounds like that should be one of the meanings. That made me remember Stephen, one of the most courageous people I can think of in the bible.

In Acts 6-7 we see the story of Stephen brought before certain members of the synagogue. They accused him of trying to teach against what Moses had taught, and that Jesus did the same. His response was interesting. He gave them the history of the Hebrew people, showing that Jesus had both taught and kept the law perfectly, and that they had conspired to murder him. What happens next is the courage placement. The heavens opened and Stephen once again saw the Messiah, standing next to God. This gave him the courage to face the stoning death he was about to endure. Sounds like God, and seeing Jesus, implanted courage. May we all be so fortunate as to have the revelation in a personal way that Jesus will stand for us.

Prayer
Father, I ask that you touch the lives and hearts of people today that they may know You. Give them the courage to stand for You by knowing that Jesus stands for us. Thank You for being our King, and never turning Your back on any who will turn to You. In Jesus name. Amen.