Hope Worth Holding On To

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Today's Passage> 1 Corinthians 15: 35-56
Memory Verse> 1 Corinthians 15: 52 & 53

There's a powerful statement in this passage that I never really knew was there.  It says, "First the natural, then the spiritual."  All this means is, nothing ever becomes spiritual unless it is first manifested in the natural.  No dream, no vision, no accomplishment ever materializes without making its presence in the physical realm.  This is a spiritual law that God created, so He honored His own law by sending His Son Jesus to take up residence in the body of a human being, and had Him walk this earth.  Why would He go to all that trouble just to send Him back home?  What was the ultimate goal here?

Christ walked out the whole process of breathing our air, experiencing our joys and pains, and being tempted just like we were, yet without sin.  He did all that so He could model for us what life looks like not only here in the natural, but also in the spirit realm that He is preparing for us.  And if you have a problem accepting this, how do you explain what happens when all life begins?  Every living thing starts out in one form and becomes another, then goes back into the earth and dies, but not really.  Life only begins again.  Every plant that dies receives nourishment from other dead things and comes back as a new plant. 

If you accept that this is true, logic should follow that our human bodies, which also start out as one thing and end up as another, will be resurrected by the Lord Who is responsible for setting the example that death is not the end, but a step in the process.  Our hope rests in the fact that our earthly bodies are flawed and tainted with sin.  But because Christ the second Adam, Who passed the test of loyalty to the Father, intervened and stripped the power of sin and death from the enemy, He has given us His Word that we will be given new, incorruptible bodies.  Unlike any other life forms, we have souls.  This is who we really are, and this part of us, in keeping with the natural law, has to live on this earth and follow Christ's example of loyalty to God.

Only a loving God would leave clues as to how our earthly bodies will be transformed into heavenly ones.  Everytime we see a bird, a flower, or any other living thing, we know that if God has made provision for life to begin again, why not with us?  We are of more importance than any sparrow.  We can trust that we WILL live again because Jesus lives again.  Prepare to exit this treacherous body, but not for good: there is something better to come.  No more headaches, heart problems, or surgeries to fix those things.  But even more than that, we will have access to the Father Who loved us unconditionally.  We long for the day when we will not only sing of and pray to Him, but will see Him just as He is.  That in and of itself is hope worth holding onto.

Prayer: Father, only You could demonstrate love for Your children that You would fix everything we messed up, then give us something extra that we could never deserve.  You've given us salvation to keep our heads up while walking on this earth.  But then You promise us eternity after our resurrection.  I just want to thank You for all You've prepared for me and all those I love.  May all those who don't know You be drawn to this love, and to the wonderful promises You are sure to keep.  Be glorified in our lives in Jesus' Name, Amen.

I Believe it ALL!!!

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Today's Passage: 1 Corinthians 15: 1-34
Memory Verses: 1 Corinthians 15: 13-14

There are millions of people in our world today who do not accept the Christian faith, and they do this for many reasons.  Their rejection of our faith primarily stems from the high standard of morality, namely the Ten Commandments, which they claim is hypocritical since it is not humanly possible to fulfill all of them at the same time.  Another reason is the promise of eternity to those whose lives are dedicated to the obedience of these commands.  So rather than taking God at His Word and allowing Him to give them the grace to follow, they simply decide it must all be hogwash.

But in today's passage, Paul is addressing another group of people -- not unbelievers at all, but some who had actually accepted the faith.  Everything, that is, except for the resurrection.  They were okay with the fact that Jesus came to show us a new way to live.  He took the commandments to a whole new level, making it personal rather than some mechanical response to God's will.  They even agreed with His death, which gave them the right to see Him as a martyr, a sure sign that He must be worshipped.  But this group of Corinthians who called themselves believers stopped short at the resurrection.  They absolutely refused to believe that it was possible for a man -- even Jesus -- to be raised from the dead.  They obviously bought in to the lie that the Roman soldiers told when they claimed that Jesus' body was stolen by His disciples, although there was no way for anyone to roll away that humungous stone that blocked the door of His grave.

And so Paul took the time to write to these Corinthians that if they took away the resurrection from what we believe, we have nothing by which to declare that salvation is possible.  Jesus wasn't just a good person Who came to show us how to live on this earth, but gave His life so that we could live with Him in the next.  If no-one rises from the dead, there is no heaven or hell.  That would give credibility to those who have decided to live anyway they want to now, for there is no accountability.  There would be no Judge Who will review the motives, intentions and actions of every day that we lived on this earth, so there would be no need for a Savior to rescue us from our miserable sinful existence.  Basically, there would be no reason to believe, and we might as well give up hope on the rest of the message of the gospel.

Here's a question for you: do you believe in the WHOLE gospel?  Do you believe in Christ's life, death, AND resurrection?  Or do you have a problem holding on to the part that causes you to dig deep inside of you for faith that is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen -- such as eternity?  As for me and my house, we choose to believe it all.  Like Paul, I believe the rest of it is worthless if we're not spending our lives living out the message that Christ died and rose again so that He can one day come back and redeem us not only from this sinful world, but also our corruptible humanity.  If that part's not in the story, I don't want only half of it.  But thanks be to God that He is just, and I stand on His promise that if I live totally devoted to Him, He Who gave up everything to provide a place for me will come back and take me to a place where I can BE with Him.  For me, it's all or nothing.  What about you?

Prayer:  Father, I believe in You and Your love for me.  I believe that You thought I was worth sacrificing Your Son Jesus to redeem.  I believe that He rose from the dead, and is seated at Your right hand, interceeding for me even now.  I believe that one day He will come back, and all eyes will see Him as He cracks the sky.  I dedicate my life to serving You even more deeply so that I can be in that number for whom You will come.  Thank You for the blessed hope!  In Jesus' Name, Amen.      

Prayers That Prevail

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Today's Passage> Romans 8: 1-17
Memory Verses> Romans 8: 1-2

Father, I am so grateful today for your freedom! Because of what Your Son Jesus accomplished on the cross, I am no longer condemned to live under the law by my own ability, but under a new law. This new law entitles me to allow Your Holy Spirit to breathe Your life into me. By Your Spirit, I now can experience the joy of yielding to Your leading instead of the heartache of failing yet again to live up to Your holy standard on my own.

Today, I choose to come into agreement with Your will for my life. You know the pastures You desire me to feed on, and Your Son's blood purchased the right to drink from pure, clear and still waters. Thank You for the anointing oils and salves that You've made available to bring me relief from the pests that threaten to steal my rest. As long as I'm following You, I have access to the Lamb's inheritance -- provision, peace, and power among other things. No matter what plans are formed by the wolves, lions, and bears that lurk in the shadows, I have no need to fear. For I do not carry the burden of trying to find my own pastures -- You do.

Wherever You lead, I will follow. The hireling's voice I will NOT hear. I'll spend all my days allowing You to order my steps and letting my ways be transformed to Yours. You've introduced to me the life of dying to myself and being content to be with You even through times of suffering -- for that is what gains me access into fellowship with Christ. You will only allow the pains that are necessary for me to be marked and branded as Yours, and I yield to that process willingly, trusting You all the way. Only those who belong completely to You will fully enjoy the benefits of Your ownership.

As all Your sheep arise this day, I pray that we all may respond to Your call and yield to Your leading. May we all recognize the cost of becoming completely Yours as worth the price and stick with it until the process is complete. Your yoke is easy, and Your burden is light. May we all be united in our desire to be so close to one another and to You that other sheep who have not yet submitted themselves will do so freely. In the mighty Name of the Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus, we pray, Amen.

Lay Down the Law!

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

Today's Passage: Romans chapter 7
Memory Verse> Rom. 7: 6-7

It never seems to fail: we operate in a certain degree of responsibility and ability to do what we're supposed to do without having to be told we MUST do it. We take care of our bodies by eating right, getting proper rest, and exercising when we can. But the minute someone lays down the law about it-- say a doctor, for instance -- it becomes one of the hardest things we could ever consider doing. The same thing goes when the word "fasting" is mentioned. All of a sudden, what I seemed to be able to do without any effort (skipping 1 or 2 meals a day just for the sake of it) bturns into an impossible feat.

Sound familiar? This is the same dilemma many believers face whether they are new to the faith or older. What makes the law so hard to follow? Is it because in it's very nature the law is a hard taskmaster that makes us feel as if we're being forced to give up things that we hold dear to us, even if in reality we're really not? I often wonder what I would've done in Adam and Eve's place had I heard these words for the first time: "You may NOT eat from that one tree in the middle of the garden". It seems easy enough to imagine that, if it were I, I would've been content to enjoy all the millions of lush vegetation created with me in mind, taking advantage of every possible fruit I could even dream of.

But before my imagination goes too far from me, I remember that Satan had already made his entrance by the time Adam and Eve were created. He was determined to destroy everything that God had perfectly made. So God in His omniscience created the law to teach us to lean only on our relationship to Him rather than on any created thing. Remember the conversation Eve had with the snake? The moment he made his suggestion, what was her response? She repeated the law("God told us not to eat of that tree"). Now imagine with me how differently things would've turned out if she had responded: "I don't think we'll be doing that, for our Father has provided for ALL our needs!". Better yet, what would've happened to the enemy's plan if she'd realized how incapable she was of handling such a slick talker and just YELLED out for her Creator? She'd received all that love and companionship from God, but when it really counted, all she could focus on was what she was told NOT to do.

God used the opportunity of the fall to teach us that as long as there is sin in the world, we will side with it when we're required to choose. As long as we live in our flesh suit, which is patterned after the first Adam, we cannot depend totally on the law to be obedient to God. We must be willing to lean on what Christ did for us on the cross. Here's an easy way to remember this: when we depend on do's and don'ts, walking in condemnation of anyone who doesn't measure up, who gets glorified? Certainly NOT God. But when we realize our frailty and total dependence on the Good Shepherd, calling out for Him rather than walking away and foolishly thinking we can handle sin on our own, all we're doing is repeating the pattern and opening the door for the accuser of the brethren to condemn US before God. Why not lay down a NEW law and start a revolution of walking in total dependence on His will for our lives?

Prayer: Father, I look over my life and see how many deadly mistakes I made by trusting the law to make me obey Your will for my life. I turn from those ways now, and make a commitment by Your Grace to trust You completely. Through Your process of renewing my mind, I will be transformed from the inside out. And You alone will get the glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Forgiveness & Consequence!

Friday October 28, 2011

Today's Passage: Ezekiel 18:24-32
Memory Verse: Ezekiel 18:24

It's not fair!  That's what the kid on the t.v. show yelled after her parents grounded her for disobeying them.  When it happened, my daughter said "Awww, that's so wrong".  That, of course, sparked a family discussion. 

Since grace abounds, should there be consequences for our disobedience?  Is it fair to have to endure chastisment when we make the wrong choices?  When we make bad choices (and get caught), we all want the same reward....FORGIVENESS.  In our minds, we think if (or when) we recieve forgiveness, we should not have to deal with consequences.  However, the truth is forgiveness and consequence are two different things.  Forgiveness is pardon or remission.  Consequence (in this case) is the immediate response to a particular event that keeps that event from being repeated.  Therefore, by definition, just because we recieve forgiveness doesn't mean there shouldn't be consequences for what we've done.  For instance, The girl in the t.v. show was forgiven by her parents, but the consequence for what she'd done was still relevant.  How?  Being forgiven will give her the second chance she'd need to do better (we've all needed that right?),  but the consequence will act as a reminder that doing better is the expectation.  Moral?  We have to DO BETTER. 

One of the great arguments in the church is the 'once saved, always saved' principle.  It's supporters say once you've given your life to Jesus, His blood washes away your sins, your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, you "join" a church and you are in essence,  saved.  Whereas this stance has it's support from the word of God, it puts no emphasis on the "everyday walk with the Lord', which is the proponent's stance.  To find out how God feels about it, let's of course turn to His word.  Ezekiel 18:24 says "But when a righteous (saved) man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live?  All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfullness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die".  Enough said.  We have to relieve ourselves of this mind-set that we can live by "natural" law, yet recieve "spiritual" benefits.  God expects us to walk uprightly before Him everyday.  And although grace and forgiveness abounds, righteous living should still be our passion.  We're not perfect, so grace and forgiveness come when we have a bad outcome (i.e. saying the right thing the wrong way, or omitting something we should've been doing or saying), but we can't expect it to be applied when we "choose evil".  At the sentencing phase of a murder trial, families sometimes stand before their loved-one's killer, express their feelings, and offer forgiveness.  After they do, the judge still pronounces sentencing.  The judge doesn't let the guilty one go free just because the family offered forgiveness.  God, who is our judge, will do the same in our day of judgement.  Jesus will offer us His undying forgiveness, but if we've lived lives in contrast to Him, God will pronounce judgement (depart from Me.........I know ye not).  So don't be fooled.  Live life out loud.  Declare your faithfulness to God in the way you walk, talk, and live.  He deserves it.....and so do you.

Prayer:  Gracious Father we thank You for being our Redeemer.  If it weren't for Your compassion, we'd still be lost.  Help us now Lord God to stay on course.  We don't want to just settle in the fact that You saved us.  We want a relationship with You that goes beyond that.  So, from now on, everything we do and say will be a reflection of the One we serve and love, in Jesus' name.  Amen.   

A True Horror Story

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

Today's Passage> Ezekiel 18: 1-23
Memory Verse> Psalm 103: 9-10

In keeping with the season most Americans insist on celebrating, here's a true horror story for you: you're trapped in a time warp and have no way of getting out. Your ancestors embraced various practices such as witchcraft, human sacrifices, and the worship of animals as well as other forces of nature. Upon your birth, you were indoctrinated into these practices. But even more than that, your father and grandfather dedicated you to the "god" of the mountain (which was actually a demon), promising that your life would be lived in devotion to it. There's no earthly way out of this, because this way of life is all you know. Covenants have been signed and sealed in blood.

Scared yet? It gets worse. Upon your 11th birthday, you are told it is time for you to enter into the agreement that was made on your behalf. You are informed that you're getting ready to meet the god your ancestors have been worshipping all this time. You're made to stand in front of this mountain and chant certain words, and after a while the base of the mountain lifts and you're allowed in. The god your ancestors have been worshipping introduces himself to you, and passes on to you the requirements of your devotion. Cowrie shells are sewn into your skin, and you are given powers that will extend your life and allow you to be practically invincible. But in exchange for these powers, you must pledge to make a certain number of human sacrifices every year, and there are also kinds of foods you are forbidden to eat.

After several days of receiving your "training", you are released from the base of the mountain, and you begin to live your life as the new high priest of this god of your ancestors. Years later, when you think you have killed enough people to satisfy your god's thirst for blood, you find yourself in the middle of the civil war. You find out that you can become a soldier and help avenge your people. This will be a faster way to receive your supply of human parts -- and you take full advantage of it, working your way through the ranks of the rebel army until you become a greatly-feared general. All's perfect in your world: until the day you encounter Jesus Christ Himself in much the same way as Saul did in the book of Acts. He asks you this simple question: "Why are you slaving when you were created to be a king?" The bottom line is you catch a glimpse of true love, and you reach for it.

Here's the question: even after everything you've done to break God's heart, should He refuse to write your name in His Lamb's Book of Life just because of everything you were born into? What if you asked God to come in and forgive all the evil things you did in your past, but He decides to hold all the sins you and your ancestors committed against you? What kind of God would He be to ignore your earnest attempts to accept redemption? Praise Him that He's not at all that cruel! The young man I'm referring to, who is now a minister in Liberia, obtained his freedom from the forces of darkness after many days of fasting and prayer. The same thing can be done for anyone, no matter what web of sin he or she has been tangled in, or for how long. No principality or power is strong enough to overcome the power of the blood of the Lamb. Long story short, this young man is now ministering to other trapped souls and giving his testimony to the saving power of THE God of the Universe. For with God, nothing shall be impossible. How will your horror story end? Is it still ongoing, or will you allow the truth to set you free?

Prayer: Father, You are my Hero Who came in and saved the day, delivering me from the chains of my past as well as those imposed upon me by myself. Thank You for the blood of Jesus. May my life be the testimony You desire it to be. May I always make You famous, telling of Your saving power wherever I go. In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen.

You "WILL"ing?

Wednesday, October 25th, 2011

Today's Passage: Proverbs 8
Memory Verse: Proverbs 8:11

Will- the intent, expectation, and/or requirement to do what one is compelled to.  How is life lived?  A person lives by what they're compelled to do.  It's a constant movement from one decision to another.  There are very few things in life one is MADE to do.  They may feel they have no choice, but there's always a choice.  Making the right choice?  That's where the rubber hits the road.  But as we no, the ability (or inability) to make good choices goes right back to our will.

Let's face it, we all follow our own passions from time to time.  As people of God however, those passions should have been traded for the "will" of God when we accepted Jesus as our Savior.  Paul said it best when he wrote "It's no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me".  What an awesome exchange!  This statement provoked two thoughts: 1) There's no man-made plan to follow Jesus.  The selfishness of the flesh will simply not allow it.  If a man is going to follow Jesus, his will has to be replaced with the will of the Lord.  2) You can't follow the will of the Lord without wisdom.  Wisdom is the thing we need to keep God's instructions before us.  Without wisdom, trials, mishaps, losses, pain, lack, and other distractions, will call into question our reasons for following the will of God.

Can we truly yield to God's will without wisdom?  Many have tried.  However, in the midst of trying, all they've done is create religion.  Religion is defined as man's idealogical attempt to get to God.  That's why we have so many religions.  We have this guy who says it should be done this way, and that guy who says it should be done that way.  While at the same time, very few are listening to "The Guy" (Jesus).  So, what we have is mankind trying to do the will of the Lord without wisdom.  Wisdom compels us to do God's will with extreme fidelity (total devotion).  In our passage today, God's word says "Wisdom is better than rubies".  God is telling us in His own words that being wise is more beneficial than being rich.  Essentially, a wise man can find a way to make riches, but a rich man can never buy wisdom.  So, doing the will of the Lord (which is wise) will offer more favor and contentment than money could ever buy.  That being said, if you desire God's will for your life, let go of your ideas, habits, and traditions.  Allow God's will to become your strive.  You should also know that you can't have both.  If you try to follow God's will and yours at the same time, you'll soon discover one will give in to the other.  It's impossible for them both to equally exist.  So let the wisdom of the Lord lead you to trust Him even more today.  There's so much He wants to share with you.  Blessings...

Prayer: Father, thank you for Your divine instructions.  We couldn't make it through this life without them.  We desire Your will more than anything else.  So lead us Lord.  We'll take the background.  What You say, we'll say.  Where You go, we'll go.  For the rest of our lives, we'll cling passionately to You and only You, in Jesus' name.  Amen