It’s About Life

Jesus said there is an enemy, a thief, out to kill us.

John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Notice that His response to the thief was life – abundant life. Jesus was saying that when it comes to war, to battle with our enemy, the thief, the enemy brings his weapons of choice – death – but God brings life. Jesus spoke about this when He spoke about the Sabbath.

Luke 13:12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

Here the church leaders of their day were getting down on Jesus for doing something agianst their understanding of scripture. But Jesus pointed out how they were again being hypocrites. It happened again.

Luke 14:2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to these things.

Here again we see Jesus saying that they all take care of their livestock if it is injured so why not heal on the Sabbath. What may not be clear is there is actual scripture to support His position.

Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Here is the scripture, or one of them, that Jesus was building His position on. It is righteous to regard the life of a beast, but the wicked would not and what the wicked call merciful – not healing on the Sabbath – is actually cruel. This also explains what Jesus meant by man not being made for the Sabbath.

Mark 2:23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Jesus did not mean do what you want on the Sabbath, it doesn’t matter. What He was saying is that to elevate the Law above life is to miss the point. The Law is our teacher, not a taskmaster that the leaders of that day tried to turn it in to. It is there to teach us, not to beat us up. God loves us and just would not do that. Today, if you want to go to war with our enemy with God at your side just remember, it’s about life!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as our King. We thank You for each day’s blessings. Please forgive us when we get things wrong, whether that be self-righteousness or complete lack of any form of righteousness. Please lead us, Your people today, Father. Send us Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

What If?

As we spend more time on this earth, it becomes easier and easier to look to our past and ask, “What if?” Where would I be if I had only done this or that back then? Teenagers ask it about their early years, Twenty somethings ask it about high school, thirty somethings ask it about when they were kids, teenagers, and in their twenties, and so on. The older we get, the more “what if” scenarios we can conjure up in our minds. As believers we can look back to times when we could have made better choices. There is this desire within us to build something better, whether that be an immediate or long term future. We see this in the scriptures as well.

Psalms 143:8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Here we see David crying out to God early in the morning, looking for direction, looking for deliverance from evil, looking for the way to go. God has placed within us a drive to make things better. Even in this psalm we see David is experiencing something that is making his heart heavy, that is causing him sadness.

Psalms 143:1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

Unlike the movie “Back to the Future” where Marty gets to travel back in time and fix the past for his parents, we cannot change our past. But there is something we can change. We can choose to change what we put the most focus on about the past. In so doing, we can take steps to build a better future. David, gives us some keys here.

Psalms 143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Here we see David remembering the past victories he has had when God delivered him from the enemy. We all have some of those, if we think about it. He remembers those and sings about those (the Psalms are songs, right?). David lifts up his hands to God as he sings his prayer request, as we would reaching our for our parents as children. He asks for God to move speedily because he is sinking fast in his spirit. David then asks during his morning prayer and praise time (another key – start you day like this) for God to show him the way to go, what to be building for that day. And David was never timid about asking for God to defeat his enemies.

Psalms 143:9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

David asked for God to teach him. He asked God to lead him to righteousness. Sounds like he was trying to make himself a better person. Sounds familiar, right? In the end, he asks God to bring him out of the troubles. Ultimately David asks for the destruction of those that are his enemies.

David was a king. He had himself, his household, and a nation to watch over. He was not afraid or ashamed to call our to God for help to build a better future. Did David make mistakes? Definitely. Did David get built up and build others up in the end? Definitely. How do we know? Well, the best example I can offer is our Messiah was born from his lineage, so David has and is building us up, even though he really messed up at times. David was not only not afraid to call out to God, he knew that no matter what he could trust God to respond when he humbled himself and called out to him. And David did not have the history and teaching of the Messiah yet, like we do. How much more can we rely on God to help us today and to build a better future? What if we were to be like David, praying and praising God early in the morning every morning, seeking direction, deliverance, provision, and victory? What if we trusted like David did for God to do it?

What if?

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Thank You for all You have done for us in the past, delivering us from many troubles. We remember You as that Great and Mighty Delivering King. We ask You not consider our failures because none of us are perfect. But we do ask for You speedy help. We ask that today You come to our aid. We ask today that You heal us and those we know that need it so greatly. We ask today for Your deliverance and Your abundant provision. We ask today that You destroy our enemies. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

We Will Arrive

Every day we have many opportunities. We have choices. We can choose to help our neighbors, or not. We can choose to use kind and loving words in talking with our families, or not. We can choose to follow God and His ways, or not. It is easy to get caught up in not getting everything right. Growing up I was led to believe it is all or nothing, that if I made even one little mistake, it wiped away any good or any progress toward the good that I had made. For me this was taught at home and reinforced by the church. Over the years I have come to discover this belief is not true.

Our God is not a taskmaster. That is the devil. For many of us we did not experience that perfect loving father growing up. But our God is a perfect loving Father. He is permanently on our side. Yes, He wants us to follow His ways. That is our destination. In fact we have a promise that we will get there.

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

John tells us that we will one day be as He is. John also tells us to do the right thing. But humans are prone to make mistakes. It’s called being human. What is important is to fan the fire of desire to do the right thing within us, which God has given us by His Spirit.

God believes in us, even more than we believe in Him. Today, do not condemn yourself for the mistakes. Rather, confess sin to God, ask for forgiveness, and let His peace fill You and move you, inch by inch, closer to that mark of the high calling in the Messiah, Jesus.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. We thank You that we can count on You to forgive us when we ask, and we ask now. Please deal with us according to You mercy and truth, and not as we deal with each other. Help us to follow Your ways and to be more like You. We need Your love and Your grace. Please send today Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

A Day Of Firsts

On the first day of the week, it is a good time to think of what comes first. On the first day of creation, God separated the darkness from the light.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

It seems that all of the rest of life is about this same mission, to separate darkness from light. Paul spoke of this.

1 Thesselonians 1:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

If we are to serve our God, we must cling to the light. It is the first of His creations. If we can seek it, and cling to it, we can find our way to follow Him.

Today, if we will seek God, let us seek the light…

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Father of light. Please help us to seek Your light and Your way. We are mere men. We cannot on our own be in the light. Please forgive our stumbling in the darkness. Send us today Your direction that we might walk in Your ways. Please send us today Your healing, Your deliverance, and You abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Gifted Walk

Last night at church we were discussing the Sabbath and what it is about for us as believers. Today as I was meditating on God I was thinking about all the good He does for us. He has a plan for every human on the earth that has ever been and will ever be. Our job is to believe Him and His promises, and to use the gifts He gives us.

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

The Sabbath is a good time to reflect on God. Every week God gives us time to remember who is the Creator and that He is with us and not against us. This can be challenging for us at times because life does not always go as we would like. Truly there are some unanswered questions for many of us. But in the end, God will prevail, our questions will be answered, and we will have overcome our enemies.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. We thank You for all that You are. We know that may sound odd, but You are our everything. You gave us life, and then life again. Please forgive our transgressions. Please send today Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Who Are We Really?

Today a friend of mine and I spent some time talking about life with God, praise and worship, and various points of fellowship interest. Our discussion made its way to talking about who we are in God. We both shared how at some point in our lives we were looking for that big moment, that something major that we would do and be successful at, and that would make life matter. However, is that who we really are in God, or to God?

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Here Jesus was not commending people for doing some great work, but for being peacemakers. And who are the peacemakers? Probably those that both declare and act on peace, right? That peace may or may not be with man, but it will definitely include bringing peace spiritually. How?

Nahum 1:15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Here we see that Nahum the profit said that those that publish peace (the peacemakers) keep the solemn feasts doing what they said they would do. The result is the enemy is driven from their midst and exists no longer.

We are the sons and daughters of God. If we will just follow after God passionately, singing His praises and doing what He calls us to do, we are the peacemakers. We become His ambassadors in the earth. We make a difference because we become reflections of Him.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Thank You for another day with You in Your earth. Thank You for always watching over us. Thank You for loving us. You are great and powerful, able to overcome all our enemies. Please forgive us our transgressions. Please drive our enemies out before us. Crush them like a powder and scatter them in the wind. Please send us Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Thankful For Compassion

Today as I was considering about writing about giving thanks to God, it became difficult to narrow it down. He does so much for us that at times, well, it is overwhelming to think about it all. As I began to read through some scriptures I noticed how many there are that talk about God and His compassion toward us. One in particular really touched me because it seemed to hit on so many of the things that God does.

Psalms 111:1 Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
2 The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

This psalm was a blessing because I could easily identify with the desire to praise God and to thank Him. It was moving for me to see once again that God’s covenant with us is forever, and that we will praise Him forever. These are really simple thoughts, most likely, but I think our God appreciates the simple. Praise God.

Prayer
Father, We praise and exalt You. Thank You for always being our defense. Thank You for always being willing to forgive us when we ask. Thank You for Your righteousness, mercy, truth, and compassion toward us. Please send us that understanding today, and send us Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

From Praise To Victory

My wife and I watched a movie last night about the perfect game that was pitched in the final game of the Little League World Series. What was interesting was the team always prayed and had the preacher read Psalms 108 before each game because there are 108 stitches on a baseball. Any reason is a good reason to pray and read scripture, but I thought I would read it in total as it was not read in the movie completely. What I found was outstanding and a good recommendation for getting to victory in God.

Psalms 108:1O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2 Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
3 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;
6 That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me.
7 God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
9 Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.
10 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
11 Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
12 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
13 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Here we see the psalmist begins by calling for the praise and worship team to begin to praise God. They sang His exaltation above everything else. He then tells of places where there will be victory for them. The ending is really great. He says that they will win (do valiantly) because God is on their side.

We can have that same experience. The scriptures are here to teach us, to show us God’s ways. If we will sing out our praise and worship of Him, exalting Him above all else, He will come to our aid in the battle and trample the enemies.

Prayer
Father, we Praise and exalt You above all else. You alone are King. You alone are victorious above all our enemies. Forgive us when we doubt You. Come quickly now and defeat our enemies before us. Trample down those that oppress the poor and the fatherless. Send now Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Step By Step

As I sent my daughter on the bus today I thought about how we learn about the things of God. There are many ways really. When we give our lives to Him, confess our sins, ask forgiveness, and ask Jesus to be our Savior, that is our first step. Of course we can learn directly from God.

Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

Paul was converted on the road to Damascus and spent three years with God, learning about Jesus as the Messiah. He knew the Jewish teachings and I suspect God showed to him how these are connected. But even Paul then went to see another apostle, Peter, and later James. This is something he also spoke about in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Here we see Paul is telling us how to experience God and move toward knowing Him and knowing about Him. We do this every time we sing to Him and pray. Another way is to be around others like Paul did after he learned from God.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

We can rely on God to provide us a means to both be with Him and to learn about Him and our walk as a believer. We have many avenues, and as Paul demonstrates, using them all helps!

Prayer
Father, we exalt you as the Most High. Please help us to be more like Jesus. Forgive us when we do not follow Your ways. Guide us into a better understanding and wisdom about You and how we are to walk in Your grace, mercy, and truth. We love You. Please send us today the healing, deliverance, and provision we need. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

One Reason To Keep Going

Today looking out my window the snow is gone and in its place is a gray and rainy day. It would be easy to be discouraged today, to get caught up in the dreariness, to be overwhelmed by all that must be done in the days and weeks ahead, or by the news. We all want the world and life to be better. But we need not be overwhelmed. We can find peace and encouragement in knowing who and where we are, and where we are going. This is what Paul did in similar situations.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.

Paul had already seen and done some fairly significant things for God’s kingdom by the time he wrote this letter. He was also the same person that said he did things he should not do and did not do things he should do. But all of this he considered to be nothing. Paul always put the past where it belongs – in the past. He knew that what mattered was not what we have or have not done, but what we choose to do today to move toward God’s calling in our lives. When we focus on the immediate and ling term future, we get to create that anew. And here is an important point that I had not noticed before today. Paul said that from our maturity (perfect) we can put the past behind us and if there is something more we need to be doing, God will reveal it to us. If we know someone that has already overcome something, then we can imitate them (mark them) to learn from their example.

We press on…

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You! Everyday You give us a reason to keep going, to stay in the battle, and to reach out to Your calling. Thank You for giving us a goal. Please forgive us our past transgressions, and help us to keep our eyes on the prize. We want to see and live in Your kingdom in this earth. Please give us the healing, the deliverance, and the provision we need in abundance. Please help us to heal the sick, raise the dead, and show the world the power of Your might. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.