Category: Belief

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To Whom Do You Belong

Kingdom of God

Interesting question to ask, to whom do you belong? From the moment of your birth people, places and things stake their claim to you. Family, friends, institutions, states, country, even things indicate in one way or the other your relationship to them. You’re referred to as my son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, husband, wife, student, employee, etc. The word “my” in front of the category describes your allegiance or affiliation. “My” is a possessive pronoun denoting both the relationship and ownership. But of all the relationships associated with this powerful pronoun, none is more significant, more satisfying, more amazing than you and I being sons and daughters of the most High God. We are His children. We are ranked as His glorious creation, vessels and holders of the message of salvation. Our lives are not our own, because we were purchased with the precious blood of Christ. Instructed to form this organic union with Christ, each day our affiliation should become more and more evident. Our allegiance to the Creator should demonstrates our service to the “Lord of Love.”
To whom do you belong? If you are not Christ’s run away fast that cruel master is stalking you. He seeks to destroy your allegiance to Christ. However, if you are Christ’s demonstrate it by obeying him with love and humility; let His word be your law; let His will be your will.
As C.H. Spurgeon stated, “You belong to the Beloved, then love him; let your heart embrace him; let your whole soul be filled with him. You belong to the Son of God, then trust him.”
To Whom Do You Belong? You belong to the King of Kings.

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Coulda/Woulda

Our Assistant Pastor shared this poem with the adult Bible Study class last night.

And I wanted to pass it along.  This may not be for you, but someone you know needs to know this truth.   I hope you will share it.

Coulda/Woulda

Author unknown

If the devil coulda taken your life by now, he woulda.

Just the fact that you are still here, in the land of the living, is a testament that God has a purpose and a plan for your life.

God has a reason for you being here.

That’s why the devil has been attacking your mind and your spirit so fiercely.

If the devil coulda destroyed you…he woulda;

If he coulda destroyed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego…he woulda;

If he coulda destroyed Daniel in the lion’s den…he woulda;

If he coulda destroyed David…he woulda;

If he coulda destroyed Job…he woulda;

If he coulda destroyed Jesus Christ on Calvary…he woulda;

But the truth is that he can’t. You may think that this is the worst time of your life, but let me tell you, it’s just a test.

God is not through with you yet!

The enemy is trying to take you out, but be encouraged my brothers and sisters…if he coulda destroyed you, he woulda done it a long time ago.

The word of God says: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9)

We have the love of God and as long as we have Him, the enemy cannot destroy us.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Romans 8:38-39)

You can make it.

Cause if satan coulda torn you apart, he already woulda!

Be encouraged.

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Grace

“Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18

“Grow in grace” – not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that root-grace, faith.  Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fullness, constancy, simplicity. Grow also in love. Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie every low, and know more of your own nothingness. As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward – having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with Jesus.  May God the Holy Spirit enable you to “grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior”, [that grace may abound]. Amen   C.H. Spurgeon

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Detours, Distractions,Dilemmas

Detours, distractions and dilemmas–in this season of joy, happiness, gift-giving, celebrations you or someone who know may be facing a season of trial, and tragedy.  The brightest season for them has becomes covered in blight and despair, hardly a time of laughter and fun.   Even if you are not facing a personal challenge, or someone who know, you must be aware of the nurse who killed herself after being the victim of a hoax by two DJ’s, or perhaps you’ve been following the two NFL tragedies committed by young men who appeared to have everything.

Increasingly more and more individuals are foregoing the joys of “true life” for horror and mayhem, for tragic detours and futile distractions that land head first into their families, thereby creating lasting dilemmas and damages.

This should be a time of learning about the real reason for the season.  It should be times of love, sharing and serving others.  These days should be spent in reflection, and living life with intention and divine purpose.  With only 20 days left in 2012, we need to take note of those who have become twisted and tangled in the superficiality of life, and not with the substance; with those who are suffering and not serving; those who are taking detours instead of staying focused on the high calling of the mark in Christ Jesus.   These days should be times of helping others to find their way back home.

If you are facing a personal trial, stay centered on and in Christ.  Let Him clarify your thinking and show you your purpose.  Don’t become distracted by the storm and the clouds.  These are temporary.  Focus on Christ, and not on the circumstance.  You probably saying, sure that’s easy for you to say.  You don’t know what I’m going through.  Well you’re right.  I don’t.  But Christ does, and there is nothing, no circumstance, situation, challenge, detour, distraction, or dilemma He can’t fix.   Give Him a chance.  Christ came so we can experience fullness in this life, even in the midst of the storms. So whether it’s you or someone you care about, share that detours, distractions and dilemmas are temporary, and Christ is eternal.   That’s good news.

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What Are You Prepared to Do?

 “The Lord is with you when you are with Him.

If you seek Him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” 2 Chronicles 15:2 b (NIV)

What are you prepared to do?  What are you prepared to do to seek God?  What are you prepared to do to honor and love Him?  What are you prepared to do to gain Christ?  The journey to seek and find God can be an easy or perilous one.   We were designed for the task, and the very best markers were left to guide our paths.   But the real question is, what are you prepared to do?

Scripture said if we seek him, we shall find him.  That if is a huge marker that indicates some action on our part.  We must initiate the seeking.  God is already there waiting for us to discover Him, but it is up to us to do so.  Seeking Him means taking part in the process. When you want something bad enough, you will rally your resources to get the intended object.  If we really want to find God, we will do everything within our power to seek Him out.

Seeking also means serving Him.   Service, when done out of love and deep appreciation for what He did for us, becomes a glorious journey of discovery and experiencing God.   Along the way, you discover why God gave us His very, very best His Son, Christ our blessed redeemer.  The process of seeking also reveals the real purpose for which we were created.   The seeking creates windows of opportunity for the expression of God’s goodness and mercy through service.  And as we serve, our lives become a beautiful reflection of Christ’s magnificent gift.   We learn that we fulfill the whole law as we serve Him.  We lose nothing, we only gain.  We discover love, joy, peace, understanding, diligence, and beauty.   Life becomes more about Him and less about us.  We undercover the true family, fruitful relationships, abilities, gifts, and talents through the gateway of service in His kingdom.   We taste and see that the Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever.  We find out He will be with us until the end of time.

So, what are you prepared to do?   If you forsake the Lord, and all He has done, then the journey to find fulfillment, and happiness becomes empty, shallow reflections; tainted, worthless idols of fame and fortune.  Our souls become bleached and withered from the years of wandering in the wilderness.   If you forsake Him, you lose all; everything; you lose God.  He will not force it; for this is a voluntary act of gratefulness to find Him who is our all in all.    There is a cost to seeking God.  It may cost everything.  But He reassured,  there is great reward.

What are you prepared to do to find God?

 

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Where is the Love?

Let me tell you a story.  Once upon a time there was a little girl whose baby brother was very ill.  The little girl watched as her mother and father cared for the little boy.  They wanted so desperately for the boy to get well. But all their attempts at healing failed.  They tried everything, but no one had the answer.   The little girl loved her baby brother.  She thought she must do something to help.  She remembered a story her grandmother told her about a magical bird, a little blue bird with powers to grant wishes to anyone brave enough to find it.  So off the little girl went in search of the mystical creature.

Where is the love?   The little girl in our story went off to find an object, a mythical creature who she hoped would see heart’s desire, and grant her request to cure her baby brother.   When we arrive on this planet, we are also in search of something, or someone who will see our desires, and grant our wishes, and love us.  We struggle with the not only the object, but along the journey.    We go off looking for it, whatever it is, but our internal GPS is off.  We look for love in all the wrong places.  Our vision is distorted, and convoluted. We’ve gotten lost in the jungle, in the desert, in the wilderness; blinded by illusions, lies, legacies, false dreams, images, hurts, pain, disappointments, and those blinded eyes cannot see the truth. We don’t know where is the love, nor what love really is. 

So, where is the love?

Scripture says love comes from God. 1 John 4: 7.  Love is also everlasting.  Love is divine, heavenly, it never fails.  Love is patient, kind; it is not proud or boastful.  Love is wonderous, miraculous, and we were born out of love, so we are both beloved and love.  Now, when I say we are love, and beloved, many of you were probably immediately turned off.  No, not me.  I’m not lovely, I’m not lovable,  I have never really, really been loved.  My father, mother, sisters, brothers, husband, wife; they didn’t love me.  Oh, they said they did, but they didn’t.  If they had loved, they would have___.  If they had, they would have shown me that I was beloved.  Or how can I be beloved when I_______?  Just look at me!  I’ve done so many horrible things.  I don’t know who I am.  I’m all messed up.  No one really loves me.

Beloved is a powerful word.  The mere speaking of it does something to our heart, mind, and soul.  When we first experience what we feel is love, our whole being changes.  Our soul hungers for it.  It becomes a drug.  Once we’ve tasted it, we want more.  But that kind of love is not love as God defines it.    So, where is the love?

“The Lord appeared to us in the past saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 NIV

Love is a song of life, hope and deliverance.  It is a clear, sweet heart song like none other. And it is special and different to each of us.  We received it at the moment of conception.  God told the angels look at this one, look how marvelous he is, she is.  They will bring something the world has never known.   How beautiful they are?  Look at them, my son, my daughter.  Look at the love.  See how they shine, sparkle;  My children; My crowning achievement.  I made them in my image;  My beloved.   We heard the voice of love right in the very heart of our DNA.  It was a song that said yes to Him who is love.   It is one of recognition, and angels rejoiced at our new birth, because another song of love filled the earth, another soul bringing glory to Father.  Our yes becomes His symphony, and our combined voices fill the atmosphere with love songs to Him, and those needing to find their love songs.

It is love that creates and heals.  It is love that builds, restores, and gives. It is love which endures all things, and demonstrates courage in the midst of the storms.  It is love that makes a home, and a community. It corrects injustice, and sacrifices.  It is a  song one hears that the soul longs for; it is the melody of life – a sweet harmony experienced when we embrace Him.  When we remember He is love, and His very essence, character is divine love, we are complete.  It is astonishing, magnificent, majestic, saving love.  Beloved, when we get the message of Jesus, that He (God) so loved the whole world that He gave us love wrapped up in Christ, then we see, feel and know we are beloved.  And God’s eyes sparkle, and He smiles when we discovered we are loved by Him.  Fully loved.

Say yes to His love, for he created us; you and me out of heavenly love. Remember our love song, our true song, and refuse to allow yourself to become dull, blurred and seared by the world anymore. No more running around to and fro. Cease the frenzy pace.  Stop, because we are no longer seeking the answer to the question where’s the love. The answer was given to each of us; a prime directive from the God Creator of all.   The real question is, does the world see it?   Does it see the love of Christ in you and me?  When you look at me, and I look at me, do we see love?   Are we reflecting the answer to the question, where is the love? Our lives must reflect the love.  Fully aware, transmit love to the world as He did, and does.   Tell the world, He loves with an everlasting love.  Tell them, we are from God, and whoever knows God must hear the voice of love, because we have been born of God’s love.   Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4: 6, 11 [paraphrased].  The world needs to hear the strings of God’s love.  They desperately need to see your belief that you are love, and beloved of God.  It is through us they hear their own love song –  the divine plan of salvation.

So, the answer to the question,where is the love is inside of each of us. It is you.  It is me.  It’s Christ.  Together, we are the answer to question.

O, the little girl in the story, did she ever find the little blue bird?  She discovered, as we all do it where it was.  Right within her.

Today, before another thought of what I have to do; before you begin that internal self talk about this is nothing, or it is not for me, before another moment passes and you say no, come and say yes to love.  Answer the question, where is the love?

 

 

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Behold

“Behold, I make a covenant:before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord: for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.” Exodus 34:10

God told the children of Israel  Behold, everyone around you, will see how great and marvelous your God is.   They will know without a shadow of doubt I am God.   The Great I AM is with you; his wonders to behold.

Behold says to pay attention, look up or around, pause, and stop what you are doing.   Even when reading the word, it feels like  an exclamation point automatically should follow it.  Because something of importance is about to happen, and it is going to be spectacular.   And when our God speaks, it is always breathtaking, astonishing, magnificent.  So take the words spoken to the children of Israel during their journey to the promised land, and linger in the certainty of this covenant. For we have an even better covenant; one written in the incredible righteousness of Christos, Jesus Christ our redeemer.  For it was/is an awesome thing God did for us through Him our precious Behold.

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Listening To God

Listening to God requires that we first listen for God, Robert Benson once said.  We have to be in a position to want to hear from God, by being still and knowing God is God.

“Has God trusted you with silence-a silence that is big with meaning?  God’s silences are His answers. Think of those days of absolute silence in the home of Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer? God will give you the blessings you ask if you will not go any further without them; but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself.” Oswald Chambers   Are you satisfied with the silence?  Make no mistake that silence is also God speaking.

We are to listen for Him, and not be concerned about the manner or method He chooses to speak to us. Remember that burning bush. God spoke to Moses on the backside of a mountain in a bush. Scripture is filled with different ways God spoke to His people.  Our responsibility is to be attentive when He speaks, and obey. His voice is unmistakable. It is like the dawning of the sun. It fills the soul and spirit with hope, joy, love and warms your heart.  He is probably speaking to you right now.  Telling you don’t worry about this day; He has everything under control.
St.Teresa of Avila said, “We should accept with simplicity whatever understanding the Lord gives us; and what He doesn’t we shouldn’t tire ourselves over. For one word of God’s will contain within itself a thousand mysteries.” The value of listening to God is that we will finally hear him as He is – God. All those questions are answered, we cease from struggling over the mundane and trivial.  We seek Him knowing all is well with our souls.  Peace, Power, Presence.  Are you listening to God?
Listening to God provides our way home.

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He is Already There

In the midst of your day, in every meeting, appointment, activity, or event, Christ is already there.  He is Risen.  The master’s hand is already at work.  He has gone ahead to make the way smooth.  His power, love, and glory is already in the room.  And you will see Him there.

He is already there.  No need to worry, fear, fret or be concerned about what to say or do; he is already there.  Eugene Peterson once said, “We are always coming in on something that is already going on. Sometimes we clarify a word or feeling, sometimes we identify an overlooked relationship, sometimes we help recover an essential piece of memory – but always we are dealing with what the risen Christ has already set in motion, already brought into being.”

He is already there.  Take comfort in knowing Christ is already there.  Matthew 28:5-7 (MSG)

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God is our refuge

“God is our refuge and our strength (Psalm 46:1-3)…a very present help in the time of need.”

 Yesterday, I attended a women’s conference where speaker after speaker gave powerful testimony of the truth of this familiar passage.  A damaged heart healed, tumors miraculously gone, shattered lives mended.  Stories of enormous physical and emotional suffering, and lost, and how God truly became their refuge and their strength.  This was not fantasy.   These women had a personal encounter with the living God, and their stories became ours.

God is our refuge and our strength.  God’s power provides strength.  His presence gives grace.   We can face our todays and tomorrows, because we are sheltered from and within.  Sheltered in God’s arms, we have confidence, and faith in Him who will not leave us.  There is unwavering belief in a God that cannot lie.  He said He will be with us until the end.  We have a blessed assurance in a God that can accomplish what man cannot.  Knowing and believing in who God is changes us.  Our lives become a beacon; a shining lighthouse for those washed up by life’s stormy seas.  And just like these women, we reflect the beauty and glory of God; a God who will never leave us, nor forsake us, even during the worst times of our lives.

As the conference ended, there was renewed hope and strength.  We can tell their stories, and ours of how God rebuilds, restores, and became for each of us our refuge and our strength.