Giving Thanks

Good Morning,

Luke 17:11-19 (NIV)
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

What speaks to you as you read these verses this morning? I'll share with you what I heard clearly. It wasn't about the miracle that Jesus performed. It was about the thankfulness of one, and only one, of these people that the Lord touched in a huge way. As Jesus asked, "What about the others? Aren't they thankful? Why aren't they here to give thanks and praise God?"

Now, I don't think that there are any of us who've been healed of leprosy lately, but that doesn't alter the fact that all of us have been blessed and helped by God in some way in the not too distant past. Maybe even as recently as today. So, how many of us are acting like the one leper who came back to thank Jesus and praise God? And, how many of us are much like the nine who just went on their way?

We don't give thanks any where near enough, I don't think. We take for granted much that God does in our lives and just forget where our blessings are coming from. Heck, there are even a lot of us who complain because, even though we're hugely blessed in many ways, we don't think that we're blessed enough! Go figure! I mean, come on now, you see those who have a decent place to live, hold down a pretty good job, have nice automobiles to drive, wear good clothes, are obviously not missing any meals, have an iPhone attached to a belt, and you hear them complaining about not being blessed with a 52" plasma TV or some other needless thing or things. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I guess what spoke to me is the fact that just about all of us who read these words have been touched by the Lord in probably many ways. If we'll stop to think about it we'll see that His touch in our lives continues day after day. Maybe we aren't being healed of diseases or some other "big" miracles going on in our lives. But, it certainly doesn't alter the fact that we have so very much to be thankful for and to be praising God for...as only the one did in these verses.

Stop today, please, and see what is going on in your life. When you realize all that you have, please be as the one who returned to Jesus and give thanks...loud and clear...and give praise and glory to God. I think He'd like that.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Some Will Not Believe

Good Morning,

John 10:22-30 (NRSV)
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."

I have often wondered why some people simply refuse to hear or, if they take the time to listen, will not believe or understand God's plan of salvation and the reality of Jesus Christ being the Savior that He is. I've shaken my head and just been in total unbelief that when presented with unrefutable evidence of God and of Jesus Christ people walk away...seemingly oblivious to what has been said and presented to them. I know that there are many who read these words who have felt much the same way and have wondered why we continue to try to spread the Gospel.

It's at those times of wonder and confusion about this that we have to remember this short section of Scripture. You see, even when presented with actual, physical evidence of the Deity of Jesus Christ among them, there were people who simply refused to believe and would not even try to understand. Jesus said, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." These words of Jesus give us the answer to the "why" of people who refuse to believe no matter how much evidence is given and even proved beyond a doubt. These unbelievers are simply not His sheep. I think it's as simple as that.

There are people who, no matter what is said or proven, will not accept that which we present to them and the salvation that is offered freely by the grace of God.

So, when we get frustrated and even depressed when people refuse to listen to us or refuse to even try to understand what we're saying, let's remember what Jesus said when He walked this earth. There are those who are not His sheep and, no matter what, will refuse to believe. It's not your fault or my fault or anyone else's fault when we "fail" to convince someone to accept the Lord as Savior. Always remember, it's up to God. What our job consists of is the presenting of the information. It's the Holy Spirit's job to do the convincing.

Very simply put: Some will, some won't.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Counsel of a Friend

Good Morning,

Proverbs 27:9 (NIV)
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.
Proverbs 27:9 (NLT)
The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.

When Solomon asked God for wisdom two things happened. First, it showed that Solomon was already pretty wise, and very smart. Second, God honored Solomon's request and did, truly, give him wisdom that probably no other normal human being has ever possessed. Now that doesn't have anything particularly to do with today's verse, but just a thought that popped into my head. The next thing that came to me is that it might be a pretty good idea to make the Book of Proverbs regular reading, in addition to other Bible reading, that we do. There is simply so much there and reading...then rereading...always seems to bring something into our lives. Even if we've read all of Proverbs 100 times, we will still learn more and gain wisdom every time.

Sometimes we don't particularly enjoy the "counsel" even of a very good friend. We aren't joyful of that "counsel" if it sort of points out some fault or sin that we might have in our lives. We've all been through this kind of think at some point, I think. A very good friend notices that we are doing something, or have done something, that isn't...well, it's not what ought to have been done or something we need to change. Deep inside we know we're wrong. But, when that friend comes and points it out to us, we retreat from that counsel and even argue our point, as if we really had a point to argue. This is a normal, human reaction to criticism. Even if that criticism is really not criticizing, but is giving Godly counsel into our lives. Now, hopefully we have eventually realized that our friend was showing love and not trying to put us down in any way. Then when we took the counsel offered, we were able to make some changes and hold on to a truly loving relationship.

Now, of course, there is also the counsel we get from a loving friend that is positive and that we don't see as negative. Someone knows that we're taking on a ministry work of some kind and comes to us offering wisdom and information that comes from a previous experience. A friend sees that we are having a tough time at some task and comes to offer counsel on how we can more easily complete that work. Well, obviously, there are many times when the counsel of a friend is, truly, "as sweet as perfume" to us, even immediately when offered.

I guess the more negative type of counsel that we mentioned first is because, too often, we are overly sensitive to anyone coming to us and telling us we're making some error or other, and we need some help in straightening some things out. At least it's that way for me. And, it also seems that we get more of that criticism kind of counsel from a friend because, well, we seem to need that kind of counsel more often due to the things we do and the way we live. Again, at least it's that way for me.

Now, no matter if the counsel we receive from a friend is sweet and delightful, or if it's a necessary kind of critical counsel that sort of rankles because we're caught up in something we shouldn't be doing, we really need to see that ANY counsel that comes from a friend's heart should be welcome and gladly received. Then, we need to show our thanks to that friend and let him or her know how much we appreciate what they've brought into our lives.

Yes, Solomon knew what he was talking about. We should pay more attention to what he wrote.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

The Full Armor

Good Morning,

Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

This verse of Scripture, and those that follow, are more than just a little bit familiar to all of us who have been attending services and heard preachers preach for any length of time at all. It is, certainly, excellent advice and that which follows this verse tells us exactly what "armor" it is that we ought to be donning in our fight against the devil and his minions.

So, let me as each of us who reads these words every day a question. How do I, how do you, face each day when we are blessed enough to be able to waken and rise from our beds? Let me take a guess here and say that the majority of us DON'T do as Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus and clothe ourselves in the "full armor" that God has provided for us. Wouldn't you say the same thing?

Let's read the verses that give us direction in doing what it is that we really DO know we should be doing. (I'll copy all of the verses from this section here so that everything is in the correct context.)

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

"The belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness...the gospel of peace...the shield of faith...the helmet of salvation...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

I don't think that it's necessary for us to go into long and detailed explanations for each of the pieces of "armor" that are listed here. We've heard the sermons and read the verses many times, I'm sure. I don't think that I'm smart enough or glib enough to add much, if anything, to that which you've already heard, read, and studied in the past.

What I'm hearing this morning from the Lord is that we need to be much more diligent in actually "wearing" this "armor" that He has provided for us and to stop thinking that we can fight the enemy in our own power and by our own efforts. That, my friends, isn't possible. God is telling us clearly that we need Him in order to ward off that which the enemy throws our way. The Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to be with us in our battle against Satan and his demons. What we have to do is to call on Him and be willing to don this armor God has provided.

As is an ongoing theme in most of which I hear from God, it's our choice, just as all of life is filled with choices, to don the "full armor of God" or to continue to attempt the fight with our meager, human abilities. In and of ourselves, even in concert with a huge congregation of believers, we cannot defeat the devil without God being right there with us and being obedient in doing as He says we should in our "struggle...not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms."

Okay. The ball is in our court, as they say. Let each of us go to God in prayer and allow Him to speak to us as to exactly we should follow His instruction.

He will be with us and guide us in this battle. With Him, we will win it. Without Him, we are most surely lost.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Turn From Thier Ways

Good Morning,

Ezekiel 33:11 (NIV)
Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'

This verse of Scripture should fill us with the desire to go out and make changes in this wicked world so that God could take pleasure in the fact that at least some will "turn from their ways and live."

Of course, that would mean that we would have to actually DO some things, wouldn't it? I mean, what would make anyone...let alone the world...change if they didn't see where change would be beneficial to their lives? To take a bit from yesterday's message, we, Christians, have to actually be doing things that would show people it's worth their time and effort to make changes in their lives, don't you think? Now, if I'm reading today's verse correctly that would mean God wants people to live and that He really doesn't take any pleasure in the fact that they might die. I'm sure we agree on that as it's pretty plain. As I said, however, any change takes some kinds of actions. And, those actions have to start somewhere. Obviously, the actions we talk about necessarily be with us...you and me.

Do I show the world that being a Christian and believing in God and His works is a life worth living? Are my actions as I go about my normal, daily activities those that set me apart from those in and of the world? Do my words cause people to wonder about what it is that I have in my life and, perhaps, they might desire in theirs? Am I, in other words, really living my Christianity in such a way that would elicit questions about how I live and what I believe? Is my life one that people might want to emulate so they might have what I have?

How we answer those questions about ourselves can be the difference of being the example God wants us to be, and that people would want to follow, from just being much like everyone else and that people see no reason for change.

The only way that the wicked will turn from their ways is that they have the desire to do so. The only way, as seems clear to me, that people will have that desire is that they see an alternative that is better for them. The only way that they will see that "alternative life style," that is the Christian life style, is if we show it to them. Yes, WE are really live the "alternative life style" when it comes to the rest of the world...at least it SHOULD be.

Something to think about today as we go about our work, school, shopping, or any other activity. What are we showing the word?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Lost Children?

Good Morning,

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

I don't much believe that things happen because of mere coincidence. Webster tells us: coincidence... a striking occurrence by mere chance of two or more events at one time. In other words things just sort of happen and when one thing follows another, it's just some chance that those things occurred. I don't thing that's true. I believe that God has His hand in things, especially when we're being obedient to His urging in doing what He would have us to do, as I try to do each day.

Okay, so what in the world does that have to do with sending this message today? And this particular verse? You know, I'm not exactly sure, but my heart was touched by a news item that I read about and a video I watched concerning children who have run away from home because "home" to them was pretty much unbearable. You see, it's become somewhat of an epidemic and it's becoming more and more prevalent now, during these difficult financial times when families are losing jobs and home at an alarming rate. These kids just don't see how staying in their situation is best for their lives. (If you'd like to read and/or see what I'm talking about here, please contact me and I'll give you the web address(es) to look at.)

All right, I read a disturbing news article and watched a video that bothered me when I thought about these children who seem to have lost all hope and have really not much of a future. Then, as I began to read the various devotionals and Scripture verses that came to me this morning, I saw these verses in Ephesians. Back to my original point: It isn't a coincidence.

God is telling me something. I believe He's telling you something, as well. I think we're getting a warning today about the way that we live, now, in days that have become alarmingly more evil. The children can see it. They can feel it. And, when we aren't living wisely, as we read we should, they know it and run away from it. Well, they try to run away from it because they don't know any other way to handle that which they don't truly understand.

Yes, I guess I'm rambling a bit this morning with my mortal mind sort of going in and out of my spiritual mind. I mean, what I'm thinking and feeling as a human being and what I'm hearing from God as He speaks through these verses. So, please forgive me if all of what I'm writing today doesn't make 100% sense.

"Be careful, then, how you live..." We've all made mistakes...some more than others...which have gotten us to this particular point in our lives. There have been times when we have NOT been careful, and now we have the consequences of those times. "...not as unwise but as wise..." Most of us have been unwise at some point, as well. And those times of unwise living have also had consequences for us. "Making the most of every opportunity..." Well, let's admit it, we haven't really done that as we ought to have done, have we? Not all the time anyway.

However, that doesn't mean that we're stuck in how we live, being wise or unwise, and taking advantage of the opportunities that still might come our way. This, my friends, is how we are to live our lives! In these evil days our children, our young people, need to see that there is a better way to live each day and in doing so, that the consequences of being wise and listening to God can bring about a life that is worth the living.

So, this is how what I read in the New York Times relates to what God has sent along to us. WE...you and I and all Christians...can be the examples of life that keeps children from wanting to simply escape. WE...all of us, individually and corporately...are responsible to show that life truly can be good and that there's no reason to want to run from it.

Pretty complicated and strong subject today, I know. I've got to tell you that my heart is breaking for all of those who are living on the streets in conditions that are really unlivable and doing things to sustain their lives that are truly despicable. Can I change the world and change this current situation? Well, probably not, at least not by myself. What I can do, what each of us can do, is to...first and foremost...live our lives wisely so children can see something other than the evil that is so prevalent. Then, as the opportunity comes, "...making the most of every opportunity...", reach out to the kids we might see who need our help.

Well, please forgive my ranting this morning, but I really do feel that God wants us to do something, even if it's only a little something, about this. We really ought to, you know?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Wait...

Good Morning,

Psalm 37:7 (NIV)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...

Those who know me well fully know and understand that I am NOT the most patient of men. I'm normally not patient with almost anything...including waiting for God as we read we ought to be doing in today's Scripture.

I'm not going to go into a long, drawn out message about the benefits of patience and how marvelous it is to be still and wait for God. I don't think it's necessary. I think we all know how we should act in this area of our lives, that is...the waiting and patience concerning God.

Anyway, yesterday after returning from a our volunteer ministry I didn't really feel God's urging to send a message. Yes, I was very tired...too much lifting and carrying for this old man! Yes, I needed to get into the shower and get ready to attend service last night. But, that's not usually any reason for me not to come here into the office and see what it is that I should be sending out. So, unlike me, I was patient and I waited to hear from God about what He wanted me to do. Now, please understand, this was before I checked e-mails or any other messages that were waiting to be read. I was just being very un-David like yesterday afternoon. I exercised patience and simply waited. Now, this morning when I came in to check messages and to see what God had for me, I was greeted with something that was well worth the patience and waiting that I had done. I took care of that little chore that God led me to and then I read this verse of Scripture.

Imagine! I had actually been obedient without knowing I was being obedient! Go figure, huh?

So, short story long as it turns out, I was shown what patience can bring and then was able to convey that to you. God is good! He's also very, very smart.

Point today is simply that it is best, very often, to "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him" to do as He will and let us know where and how He wants us to do His work.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

What Spirit Do I Live?

Good Morning,

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
(I would urge everyone to take a couple of minutes and read the short chapter 2 Timothy 1)

Much too often many of us act in exactly the opposite way and with a spirit inside us that is at total odds of what Paul wrote to Timothy...and to us, I believe.

Instead of a spirit of power that comes from knowing Jesus Christ in our lives as Lord and Savior and having the Holy Spirit indwelling in us, we act with timidity and in ways that says little, if anything, about the power we can call on. We, too many of us, go about our lives like the "Casper Milquetoast" character with our heads down and speaking softly and not having our say when we disagree with what we see and hear in the world. In other words, our actions are anything BUT a showing of the power of God that we have inside if we will just call on it.

Again, in opposite of what Paul says in the short verse of Scripture, we don't really act with a spirit of love, either. I mean, if we see someone who is down, more often than not, we turn away or ignore that one instead of going forward and sharing the love of God as we ought to do. Many of us tend to avoid and even run away from those who are grieving and in need of God's love that we so easily take for granted and that He has shown toward us. That doesn't mean that we act in a hateful or hurtful manner, it's just that too many times we just don't act in a loving manner.

Need I even mention self discipline here? Do we show the world that we are different by living our lives with a true spirit of self discipline? Or, do we go about like almost everyone of the world and just do as they do without regard to disciplining ourselves in almost any manner? We consume as the world consumes. (If you doubt that, I would challenge you to look at all of the unnecessary things you might have sitting around your home and that which is in your clothes closet.) If we're hones when we take a bit of an inventory, we'll admit to ourselves that yes, we have acted in the exact opposite of what would be true should we have acted with self discipline. And, of course, it's not only in this area of our lives that we act with little or no self discipline. We eat too much...and too richly...and too expensively. Some of us drink too much...and too richly...and too expensively. We entertain ourselves way too much...and too richly...and too expensively. And, well, as we know "the list goes on."

How can those of the world know that we are different; know that we are believers in a risen Lord; know that we are Christians? How can they know if we don't show a true spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline in our lives? To take it one step further, why would they even want to know about Jesus Christ if all they see of Christians is much like what they see in everyone else?

Bottom line here is that we need to look at how we go about our daily activities and if we're not particularly thrilled by what we see, then we need to see about making some changes.

God gives us His Holy Spirit to indwell us and provide us with our own spirit of exactly what we read in today's Scripture.

We need to take advantage of it and live accordingly.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Encouragement From God

Good Morning,

Isaiah 43:1-4 (NIV)
But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.

God, in His ultimate and perfect wisdom, sends us Scripture verses that some of us need at exactly the moment we need them. The Holy Spirit is aware that there is someone...perhaps more than just one someone, and maybe even many someones...who needs these words of encouragement that were spoken to Isaiah directly from the mouth of God. These words were, of course, directly meant for the Israelites at that point in time, but they have lasted and been put into the Bible so that God's words would speak to all of His children throughout all time.

We need to fully understand that God is with us no matter what's going on in our lives. He is there. We need to never forget that. We must always remember that the Lord God of the universe is standing right beside us at every turn and in every circumstance.

If it is you who is going through something and feel that you are alone, please know, know without any doubt whatsoever that God is with you and that you have brothers and sisters in Christ who will be with you and stand with you no matter how difficult your situation might be. All you have to do is to cry out to God and to speak to a fellow believer and you will experience both the love of God and the help of His children. You are not alone and you will never be alone. You have God. You have His children to be with you and stand with you and to help you. Count on it.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Trials and Troubles

Good Morning,

James 1:2 (NIV)
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Today I think that we have the answer to a couple of questions that many of us have from time to time. And, of course, the answers to those questions come directly from what God has put into the Bible for us to read.

"Why in the world should I be joyful when I have these trials in my life?" I know that I've certainly asked that question and wondered at being joyful when troubles seemed to come from every direction. So, the answer? "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles." Now, notice that this doesn't say that God REMOVES all of our troubles or prevents troubles from coming into our lives. No, but it DOES say that He is there to give us comfort and compassion during our times of trials and troubles.

"Why does God allow so many troubles to come into my life?" Yes, we often seem to have more troubles that we can handle. But, isn't it amazing? We always seem to come out the other side of those troubles, and often much better for it. That, of course, because of God being in our lives to comfort us as we just discussed. But, again, why this particular trial or that exact trouble? "...so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." Now, that seems pretty simple and clear, doesn't it?

If we don't get the experience of any certain trial in life, then how are we to be Jesus into the lives of others who have that same trial? I believe that many of our problems are allowed so that we can, truly, feel God working in our lives and then, as time goes by, we can know how to offer the comfort and compassion that we have felt from God, into the life of another going through the same thing.

So, why feel that joy in times of trouble? So that God can work and show His love, care, comfort, and compassion in our lives.

And, why this or that particular problem? So that we will have the experience to offer the same love, care, comfort, and compassion that we have been shown into the lives of others suffering as we once did.

Yes, it will always remain difficult to really be joyful in times of trouble and trial, I know. But, isn't it just a bit easier to know that in our times of those trials and troubles that there might be a very good reason? And that God will use us in a special way?

That should give us peace and a truer understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Confession - Repentance

Good Morning,

Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Matthew 4:17 (NIV)
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Acts 3:19 (NIV)
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

The verse that came across my desk this morning is the one from Acts concerning repenting of our sins so that "times of refreshing may come from the Lord." After reading it and thinking about it for a while, it got me to thinking about repenting of my sins which led me to think about the act of confessing my sins.

There's a great deal of confusion, I think, among many Christians about these two actions (yes, they ARE actions that we DO, and not just ideas that are mentioned in the Bible) that we are told numerous times throughout the Bible we ought to do...that we NEED to do. There are some who feel that confessing is the action that leads to forgiveness of our sins and give little thought to the repenting of our sins. Then, of course, there are others who have the opinion that confession isn't necessary and it is the repenting that is all that is needed.

I guess the first thing that we need to know is that confessing, the act of telling God or another person of a sin or sins, isn't the same as repenting of our sins. Conversely, repenting, the turning away from our sin or sins, isn't the same as confessing our sins. These are two separate and distinct actions. One is the admission that we've done wrong...confessing...the other is the action we take in regard to our wrongdoing...repenting, the turning away.

Yes, we could go onto a long and detailed discussion of these actions, but I don't think that it is really necessary. We aren't, most of us, Biblical scholars or Christian doctrinal professors. We're, most of us, just normal, every day people who want to be obedient to God and what He has told us through the Bible. So, I'm not going to delve into all of the minutiae of either of these words and just stick to the "bigger" picture, so to speak.

Should we confess? My answer to that is, "Yes, I should," as it's the right thing, in my mind, for a sinner to do.

Should we repent? My answer to that, of course, is, "Yes, I must," as I ought not to be returning to my sin over and over.

So, I think that I need to do both...confess and repent...when it comes to how I handle sin in my life. You see, if I don't confess to someone (this someone MUST be a truly trusted and trustworthy person!) then the repentance part sort of gets a bit lost in what I'm to do next. The confessing, that outward admission of sin, brings my sin to the forefront and gives me a trusted brother or sister to whom I must then become accountable to in regard to my sin. That accountability makes the repenting of my sin just that much easier because I'm not having to go it alone, so to speak; I've got someone to help me STAY turned away from my sin.

Now, this is, I know, a pretty simplified way to look at confession and repentance, but it's a way that makes sense in my mind and brings me some peace about what I need to do in regard to sinning. We all need to make that peace in our lives about our sin, my friends, or we simply won't be very successful in staying away from whatever sin we have a problem with.

Is all of this...confessing and repenting...right for you in the way that I've explained it? I don't know. That's between you and God. Do more reading and research if you feel it's necessary about this. But, mostly, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and direct you, to give you a clear understanding of what YOU should be doing.

Someone once said, "Confession is good for the soul," and I know that is a true statement. Repentance is necessary and not an option, as the next step in dealing with sin. Must be done.

I hope that I've not stirred up a hornet's nest of argument about this subject. As I've said before, "I only hold the pen." I only write what I'm told to write. I pray that these words will help us in regard to dealing with the sin in our lives and help us to lead more righteous lives in service to God.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry..."

Good Morning,

Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.

I know that I've sent many messages in the past that had to do with worry and how useless it is. I'm not going to rehash old thoughts and messages again today.

There are many of us who are facing various hardships and difficulties today, I know. I was led to this section of Scripture once again and in turn feel led to just send it along for all of us to read and hear God's voice in these words. We need the assurance and peace that comes when we read what God has said to us and when we will then stop and truly allow Him to speak to us through these words.

My prayers go out for all of us today. My prayers are that any who have whatever difficulties there are in their lives will be eased even on this very day. My prayers are that all of us who have troubles of any kind will see the road away from those troubles. My prayers are for everyone...you and me, our families and friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our coworkers and fellow students...that we will allow the peace of Jesus Christ to dwell in us fully and completely today and in the days to come. My prayers are that we will allow any worry we have to be replaced by trust and faith in God. My prayers are that we will feel the loving arms of Jesus around us today and know that we are not alone in any of our troubles. Oh, Lord, please, hear my prayer. Jesus, please, be with us all. Holy Spirit come and fill us up.

I ask this prayer in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

It All Comes From God

Good Day,

Deuteronomy 8:11-18 (NIV)
Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

In my lifetime, and even not too long ago, have heard "good Christians" who brag about how they have prospered because of their great ideas and the work of their hands. I've even heard some who have said that they have prospered greatly even though they have not been all that obedient to the rules of good living that we read in the Bible...both Old and New Testaments. (This ISN'T about any particular covenant today, please.)

I would quote one verse in what we read today, lest we forget where all of our good fortune ultimately comes from. "But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth."

Much too often, I fear, we take the credit for the talents and abilities that God has blessed us with and, thus, take credit for the wealth created in our lives.

Simply put, my friends, without God and what He has blessed us with, we are nothing. As we read just the other day, ""I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 5:15) I believe this is true both in our spiritual lives as well as in our physical lives. If God doesn't give it to us, we don't have it; if we don't have it, we can't use it; if we can't use it, we won't earn it.

So, whatever it is that we've accumulated in our lives comes, ultimately, from God and the various ways He's blessed us.

Let's not lose track of that fact.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

All His Works

Good Morning,

Psalm 103:22 (NIV)
Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Psalm 103:22 (NLT)
Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Each time that I've read this verse of Scripture I've sort of wondered about "all his works" praising God. This morning I didn't wonder about it.

I thought of the birds that fly around the trees in my yard and those I've heard in the forests, mountains, and even deserts where I happened to be. All of them, every species I've ever seen, has had a song that they sing. All different, yes, but, maybe, just maybe...all the same? All, perhaps, singing the praises of the Lord God, Creator of the universe.

I thought of the squirrels and other small animals making their pleasant noises and squeaks as they run about. Making sounds that, maybe, just maybe...praise God?

And I thought of other sounds that I've heard. The trees whispering in a breeze; the ocean's waves lapping the shore; a wind whipping through canyons and on mountain tops; so many sounds. So many beautiful sounds.

Yes, God created them all, just as He created us. And in this wondrous creation of His, all of it is here to praise Him, to worship Him, to honor Him.

Even the grasses of the field rubbing against other stalks of grasses.

Even, well, all His works, everything He has created, and everywhere in the world.

This morning I thank God for showing me this so clearly, something that I should have seen easily long before now. Maybe I did and just didn't see the significance. Or, maybe, He gave me these thoughts this morning to share them with you. I don't know why, but I am thankful.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

He Is The Vine

Good Morning,

John 15:1-8 (NIV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (Emphasis Mine, DRB)

I think that too often we lose sight of what Jesus tells us in these verses. We forget the fact that without abiding in Him and He in us, we really cannot do anything of worth. The unfortunate thing about this is that we, at least many of us, just do not remember that it is only in and through Him that we do God's will and our part in accomplishing His purposes on this earth.

We get all caught up in the "I can do it!" sort of syndrome and go charging off to do this ministry or that without first consulting with the boss...God! Now, much of this is the fault of the way we've been brought up and educated by the world. Our educational system and our ideas of success have been drilled into us with those maxims like, "If it's to be, it's up to me!" and many others of the same ilk. This, of course, simply because the world doesn't recognize that almost anything of true value to ourselves and others comes from the Lord...from His guidance and direction.

It would serve us all well if we would more often remember these verses that we read today; if we will remember that Jesus told us, "Apart from me you can do nothing," at least nothing that truly amounts to much.

On our own and in our own power we will accomplish only very little, and probably not much of consequence. With Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, being in us, we can do anything...there is no limit.

Let's not forget that, okay?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Like Little Children

Good Morning,

Matthew 18:1-4 (NIV)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

So, what are the little children like, that we should become like them, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven? I'm not one who would put words into Jesus' mouth or tell anyone what was on His mind when He spoke these words, but I can tell you what has been put into my mind about these verses and what they speak to.

"Like little children." A small child has certain attributes about him or her that goes beyond being "cute" and "cuddly." What speaks to me in these words is that the children Jesus speaks of are 100% trusting of their parents and those who have charge over them. These little children look to their mothers and fathers to provide everything that they need in their lives. The children love unconditionally...no questions asked...even when being scolded or disciplined. They have no real sense of "self" as people do when they get older and mature. They want to help in any way that they can when they see adults doing things. I mean, I know that you've probably had the experience of, "Mom (Dad) can I help with that?" No matter what the chore was you were doing. The children are open and honest...sometimes to a fault, as we have all seen at one point or another. Now, I know I've missed a few things here, because the list of childish attitudes and attributes can probably go on for quite a while.

These things about the way children really are, well, this is how Jesus would have us to become, as well.

We need to look to God for our provision. Not just our physical needs of food and drink and clothing and shelter, but even more importantly our needs of spiritual and emotional well being. We need to love unconditionally...just as Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27) Yes, love God and our fellow man...unconditionally. We are to give up the self and give over to God and what He would have us to be and to do. We are to be God's helpers when we see something that needs to be done; to help enthusiastically and joyously. We are to be honest and open with our lives in all of our dealings, never taking advantage of anyone for gain of any kind.

This, I believe, at least in part, is what Jesus was telling us. Look at the kids, the little ones. See how they are. Then in our maturity, act and behave as they do.

Yes, I have probably missed some things here this morning, maybe even some important ones. But I think, I believe, that we need to take these words very seriously and consider them as we look at our own lives...at who we are...at whom we've become.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

God Works, Urgent Needs, Fruitfulness

Good Morning,

Titus 3:14 (NKJV)
And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.
Titus 3:14 (NIV)
Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.
Titus 3:14 (NLT)
Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.
Genesis 4:9 (NIV)
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Okay, so maybe it seems a bit redundant to have three different translations of one verse here this morning. But they all sort of speak just a tiny bit differently while addressing exactly the same thing. So, I thought it wise to put them all here, thereby not overlooking anything that is meant by the verse. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!! (Just kidding there!)

So then, ought we only to look to meeting the urgent needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ? Or, are we our "brother's keeper" to anyone who has an "urgent need" as we read in these words today? Who, exactly, is our brother or sister? Questions that I guess all of us need to address and answer in our own hearts and minds...with the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us in obtaining the correct answer.

The real question posed to us this day is: What good works are we maintaining, doing, devoting ourselves to, that would be in provision to and meeting urgent needs so as to NOT be unfruitful or unproductive? Are we looking after our brother/sister as we know we should by what we read in Genesis about Cain and Abel?

More pointedly: What do I do when I see someone by the side of the road, dirty, disheveled, with a sign asking for money? Do I look at him or her as a brother or sister? Do I even see this person as a human being? Does the thought of being "my brother's keeper" even enter my mind? Do I feel the need to try to provide even a tiny bit toward this person's urgent and immediate needs? Do my actions toward this unfortunate one help me in being productive and fruitful in the works of God toward His children?

And not just when I see a person with that sign, as that's simply a metaphor to what we're talking about here, I must also ask those same questions of myself about other needs I see that ought to be met in some way and how I can be truly fruitful and productive in my walk with the Lord.

No answers today from me. I've asked myself these questions and have answered them in my mind. Those answers are between me and God. I may or may not like what I answered. That's for me to deal with.

I want you to ask your self these same questions about maintaining good works, meeting urgent needs of people, and being fruitful for the Lord in your walk. I want you to be 100% honest with yourself...and with God...in your answers.

That's all. You'll know what to do from that point without any guidance or prompting from me or anyone else. God will tell you and you will hear that still, small voice in your heart and mind as to where you need to go and what you need to do.

Listen. Obey.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Turn from evil and do good

Good Morning,

Psalm 34:12-14 (NIV)
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

At first blush these verses seem pretty simple and tell us something that's sort of obvious, something we ought to know. If we wish to have a good life, a long life, then we need to stay away from speaking evil things and keep from telling lies. Well, as I said, that's pretty obvious, isn't it? I would think that every even modestly good and decent person would know this. I mean, it doesn't take much brain power to realize that speaking evil and telling lies are bad things to do, right?

But, what about the rest of these words? I think that too often we take the simple and easy parts of Scripture and sort of leave it at that. We don't get into the more difficult parts that might be hard for us to understand and then to carry out. Verse 14 tells us that we, believers in the Lord...and all who love God...need to take another step beyond just keeping our mouths from evil things and telling lies. This next step is rather tougher for us to carry out than just watching our mouths and what we say.

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

The problem here is that way too often the "evil" that is right there in front of us is pretty appealing to us and looks so very good. We are titillated by it and excited by it, in many cases. It doesn't look all that evil and maybe it even looks like it would be fun in some way. The world has a way of presenting evil to us in such a way that we chase after it. Of this, we must be extremely careful. The enemy knows our weaknesses and will put just such evils as he knows we would enjoy right in front of us...at every turn.

I think, though, that the next words help us in our efforts to turn away from the evil we are tempted with, when we read, "...and do good; seek peace and pursue it." It seems pretty clear to me that if we are spending time and efforts doing good in the world, seeking peace at every turn, and pursuing real peace and good in our lives, then we will have not only less time for evil, but much less desire for it as well.

God is telling us here that if we love our lives and desire to see "many good days," (not just many days, but many GOOD days!) then we have a some things that will help us along that path. Keep from evil, speaking of evil, and telling lies. Then, do good and seek peace.

I think that we are more than capable in doing this, don't you?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Things in the world

Good Morning,

1 John 2:15-17 (NRSV)
Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world--the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches--comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.

We are told today, in these verses, that we need to look at those things we long for, desire, covet, and, well, love. Now, this doesn't mean to look at the people in our lives and those we love. It means that we ought to take meaningful and very careful look at those things that dominate our lives. You know, those things that make us say, "Oh, I simply cannot live without (fill in the blank here)."

John tells us that there are things in our lives..."the things in the world"...that we ought not to love. That's because those "things" do nothing to help us in our Christian walk and that people who are caught up in "things" do not have the love of God in them. God tells us here, through the words John wrote, that "all that is in the world--the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches--comes not from the Father but from the world." Now there are many who say that those "things", we might call them comforts or enjoyments, are harmless in and of themselves and don't really matter much. But if we look closely at this...the "from the world" part...we might think about it a bit differently.

What exactly is the problem here with these things from the world? Well, the Bible tells us something about who runs the world that we live in. We read in several places in the Bible about the "prince of this world" and pertains to the devil. So, it seems that the things which John writes about are those things that come from the enemy and take our focus away from God. So much of what we think is fine and good and fun are those things that we ought to steer away from. The devil will put that which seems harmless in our lives so as to take us away from God in some way.

"For all that is in the world--the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches--comes not from the Father." Don't you agree that this seems pretty clear as to what we need to be careful of? It surely speaks to me in that way. The devil is of the world and puts these desires in front of us. Sometimes seemingly innocuous things that don't come to much all by themselves. But, added together, one on top of another, day after day, on and on, well, then those "things" that John writes of, the things in the world, begin to take the place of God in our lives. Simply because we don't have any time left over...after the "things"...for God. Our days begin to be filled with the desire for gaining this or that new and marvelous "thing" that everyone else seems to have. And so it goes. One tiny bit after another. Taking away from God a most important aspect of our lives...our time.

So, we really do need to look at what it is we love in this world. We need to see what is taking our time away from God. Then, perhaps, we need to make some changes. You think?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

James 5:1-6

Good Morning,

James 5:1-6 (NIV)
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

Wow! James surely doesn't hold anything back here, does he? His words are powerful and truthful in everything that he's saying here; in his warnings to those who have financial power over other people. I don't think we have to go over every thought in this section point by point as it's clear where God stands on this, as we believe that these words are "God breathed" as is all other Scripture. (See 2 Timothy 3:16)

What I saw this morning in these words is that not much, if anything, has changed from Jesus' time on this earth until now. We still have the rich and powerful taking advantage of those less fortunate. We still have those with the financial means using their laborers and not paying them their true due.

Point at hand in today's world would be the CEO's of these huge corporations being paid multi millions of dollars each year and then getting more multi millions of dollars in bonuses. I mean, how much is enough? Billions of dollars? Even then, we see men and women who demand even more. How many yachts, houses, cars, airplanes, and the like, do people need, for goodness sake? It gets even more ridiculous in our day and age when we realize that if these billionaires "earning" (and I use this term very, very loosely!) all of that money fail, then they are rewarded for that failure by getting more millions as a "golden parachute" when the are replaced by some other multi millionaire who will make even more than the last guy.

Now, all of this money, all of these rich people, have to get that money at someone's expense. I mean, it doesn't just sort of appear out of the mist. So, those who actually earn the dollars for major companies are the ones who are paid the least. It seems clear that the billions of dollars being paid to ridiculously wealthy people is being given to them our of the labors of those who have the least...and, it sort of seems, probably deserve the most. But that's another, more political, argument for another time.

Read carefully the words that God gave to James for him to write to those around him and to us these thousands of years later. Misery will come to the rich. Their wealth is rotten and their clothes will be eaten up. The gold and silver (riches) are corroded. All of what they have will testify against them at the final hour. They are hoarders and mistreat their workers. And on, and on, and on. I guess that I'm one of the fortunate who will not have to face the judgement of a Good and Just God as He decides what is due all of those wealthy folks who have taken advantage of their "harvesters" and workers and laborers.

God doesn't say the things He does just for our enjoyment in reading His words. God tells us things in what He says through those He gave His words to. We are to take His words and learn from them. It's our responsibility to live by what He has told us. You and I and all mankind responsible to put His words into practice and action.

So, let's pay close attention to EVERYTHING that God tells us, not just what we read today. Let's do all we can to actually be obedient to not only the words as written, but what they actually mean.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Listen

Good Morning,

Psalm 85:8 (NIV)
I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
he promises peace to his people, his saints—
but let them not return to folly.

Once again, this very day, we are being reminded that we need to listen to what God has to say to us. Once again, we are told that we need to listen to Him when He speaks to us. In the second part of this verse He tells us that we can have His peace and that we ought to take care lest we return to "folly." I kind of wondered about that so, as a good student, I looked that up. Here's what Webster has to say: folly: 1. the state or quality of being foolish; lack of understanding or sense. 2. a foolish action, practice, idea, etc.; absurdity. 3. a costly and foolish undertaking; unwise investment or expenditure. 4. Obs. wickedness; wantonness

So, we are being warned against what, exactly? If we are to use these definitions then we are warned against being foolish; lacking real understanding; lacking sense; being foolish in our actions, practices, ideas, and such; being involved in foolish undertakings; and, what this says is painful to read, being wicked or wanton.

God did not put words into the Bible in a random way. We are told definitive and meaningful things everywhere we look in God's Word. Today, this verse of Scripture, is no different from any other.

What I hear from Him is that we need to listen to Him and what He says so that we can have His peace in our lives and so that we will avoid all of the pitfalls that the word "folly" represents. So, the converse is also true. That would be, if we DON'T listen to Him as He speaks to us and into our lives then we will NOT have the peace that He promises and that we WILL probably turn to "folly" in many ways.

Here's the point: We have to listen! We have to open our ears, our minds, our hearts, and our souls to listen to God when He speaks to us! We cannot continue on a road of deafness to God and think that we can avoid what He clearly tells us will happen if we do. One of the songs that I was led to pick for tomorrow's ministry at West Jax Rehab is, "Open My Eyes Lord" and part of the lyric is:

Open my eyes, Lord, I want to see Jesus...
Open my ears, Lord, and help me to listen...

I don't think that it's an accident that God led me, yesterday before I read this verse, to this particular song. You see, He's reminding ME that I have to do better and listening to Him and seeing Jesus around me. In doing this, He's using me to remind you of the same thing.

Do we wish to have His peace? Do we want to avoid the folly that can inundate our lives? The sensible answer would be that we do, of course. Okay. Then in order to do that, we have to listen to what God is saying.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Anger

Good Morning,

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Many of us are afflicted with the disease of anger. There are those of us for whom anger has almost become a way of life and we are angry at almost everything and anything that doesn't fit our idea of right and good. This isn't a good thing. Anger is an emotion that needs to be controlled and when it isn't then it becomes as a disease within us and begins to control us.

The devil looks for anger, I think, and attacks those who harbor anger within them. Anger allows other destructive emotions to arise within us and totally hides any of the goodness that we might have within.

This verse of Scripture that we read today is extremely powerful and it's something that we all need to ponder deeply. We need to see if anger has become a regular and ongoing part of our lives. Because, if it has, then we are open to attack and open to the enemy and his temptations in other areas, as well.

Those who suffer from an overabundance of anger in their lives cannot be effective in their witness to non believers. Anger hides the love we ought to show. Anger leads to sin. Anger can simply cover the good we might otherwise accomplish.

Now, I cannot tell those who are overly angry at almost everything how to change that. What I mean is, I don't know of any "formula" that we can use so that there are certain steps to alleviate our anger. The only way that I know of to have the anger we hold to abate in our lives is to begin to replace it with love and caring and compassion and understanding...and a great deal of time in prayer. Easy? No, not at all. Because anger is such a very powerful and forceful emotion.

Think about those things that bring about anger in your life. For you those things won't be the same as for me, of course, for we all have different areas that sort of push our buttons when it comes to anger and then lashing out in that anger. When we see something or hear something that angers us we need to replace that anger. The only way that I can think of to do that is to accept that I'm angry, see the true cause of my anger, and then to pray for that which has angered me. Whether it be a person or some idea or other, some action that seems to have been against me, whatever it might be, I need to pray and think about the why's of my anger, then let God show me how to love that which has made me angry and, hopefully, reach out to help, to have compassion for, the source of my anger. No, it certainly isn't easy. More often than not, we'll probably fail at the beginning...most especially for those who are overburdened with anger and have been for a long time. But, if we are persistent in asking God to help us replace anger with love and other positive emotions, eventually we can be successful.

Yes, I firmly believe that anger often leads to sin and that in our anger we DO sin. This is something we really have to get a handle on in our lives.

Living a life filled with anger is self destructive.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Listen to Him

Good Morning,

John 14:25-26 (NIV)
"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

I think this comes today as a reminder that our prayer time and our Bible reading time doesn't end when we're done with our part...the praying and/or the reading. No, when we finish our time on our knees (or however we choose to pray) and when we have finished reading the section of Scripture that we've been led to or chosen, then, my friends, the truly important time has arrived.

Jesus tells us in these verses that God will send us a Counselor, the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name. And He, the Holy Spirit, will teach us and remind us of what Jesus said and how He lived while on this earth. It is extremely important for us to know and understand that in our prayer time and our reading time, we have begun the process of opening up our minds, hearts, and souls to the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we take the time to truly pray and to read the Bible, we're preparing ourselves to hearing the Counselor as He speaks into our lives concerning our prayers and what He would have us to learn from the Scripture we have just read.

This brings to the important point of this message today. When we have prayed and read, then we must wait, patiently, on the Counselor and for His input. It's this taking time part that many of us have a problem with, I'm afraid. Yes, we pray. Yes, we read. But when we're done with those activities, we get up, leave where we are, and get on with our day, or go to bed, or do something else. This is where we kind of lose the most important part of prayer and study. It's hearing from God that is truly important and that can make a huge difference in our lives. The Holy Spirit waits for us to finish what we're doing (prayer/reading) and then He will speak to us and teach us.

There's an old saying that goes, "Don't just sit there...DO something!" Well, I would say, when it comes to our prayer time and study time we ought to say, "Don't just do something...SIT there!" Yes, sit there and await God, the Holy Spirit, speaking into our lives.

Is it important? Yes, it is EXTREMELY important! It becomes more than just a little meaningful when we will "just sit there" and wait for God. It can become, very well may become, the most important time of our lives, the most meaningful part of our lives, the absolute best time in our lives. After all, think a minute here...how many people actually have the Creator of the universe taking the time to be with them, speak to them, comfort them, and teach them? The answer to that is...only those who have accepted Jesus Christ into their lives as Lord and Savior AND will take the time to await Him and to listen to Him.

Jesus gave us a promise in these short verses. I believe it. The Holy Spirit DOES exactly as Jesus said He would. It's up to us to be quiet and listen.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

The Potter's Hand

Good Morning,

Jeremiah 18:1-10 (NIV)
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
Isaiah 29:16 (NIV)
You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
"He did not make me"?
Can the pot say of the potter,
"He knows nothing"?
Romans 9:20-21 (NIV)
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

The song that many of us have sung, perhaps are still using in some services, says:

Change my heart oh God
Make it ever true
Change my heart oh God
May I be like you
You are the potter, I am the clay
Mold me and make me
This is what I pray.....
(Sorry I don't know the author)

Now, I know that when we read these words or sing the song we truly mean it. We WANT God to change us, to mold us and make us, into whatever He sees fit for us and for our lives. Or, well....DO WE???

As we read in these verses today we see that Israel, and in including a nation I'm sure it means people, sometimes resisted God's hands on their lives and wanted to be made into something that, perhaps, God did not have in mind. What I ask today is simply: Have things changed? Have people really changed? Are we better than those people that are written about in the Bible? Or, are we much like them and STILL, these thousands of years later (which SHOULD make us thousands of years smarter, don't you think?) do we still resist God's hands on our lives when He wants to take us, mold us, and make us into that which He knows we ought to be?

Paul asks,"Does not the potter have the right to make our of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" We must ask ourselves this very same question. Am I willing to allow God to make me into something different than I am now? Will I allow God to work in my life and change what I'm doing? Will I give over my all to God so that He can take me, mold me, and make me into what it is He knows is not just best for His purposes, but for my life?

Is this "Biblical Makeover" fun and easy? Will it turn out like the "makeover" shows we see on reality TV? (Somehow I sort of really dislike those programs.) No, it often isn't easy and many times it's anything that we would consider fun. Again, no, it doesn't turn out all peaches and cream and rosy for those of us who will go through this "makeover" by God. There are times when we will not be pleased or satisfied with what God does in our lives or where He has us to serve.

In the final analysis, however, it shouldn't matter to us what God decides to do with us or make us into or have us serve. What should matter to us is that He DOES use us and show us where to serve. That's the point, you see.

Just as the clay in a potter's hand does not argue or resist what the potter does with it, then we ought not to be arguing with our Potter who would do with us as He pleases.

So, that leads us to looking at our lives to see if we've been resisting God's hand and where He might be guiding us. We need to see if we've been clay that has resisted the Potter's hand. If so, we need to change that and simply allow God to do as He knows is best.

It's worth it.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

The Miracle in Your Life

Good Morning,

Isaiah 12:1-6 (NIV)
In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

I want you to do something today. I'd like you to think about that moment when you accepted Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior, and then think about the time shortly thereafter. For those of us who don't really remember that moment of salvation because, perhaps, we were too young, I'd like you to think about the time, even the moment, that you realized that Jesus is your Lord and your Savior...and, also, think about your life in the days, weeks, and months that followed.

Now, read again these verses which are a song of joy to God concerning that day, that time of your life, when salvation became a reality and your life was changed. When my mind goes back and I think of my life, I see much of what I read today in this section of Isaiah.

What I'm asking today is that we all reflect on a time of our lives when God was so real and important. Have some of us...even many of us...changed since that time and those days? I would say yes to that, at least for myself. We become a bit complacent about our salvation over time, I'm afraid. We take for granted what we felt in the beginning was so marvelous, joyous, and life changing. We sort of forget the feelings we had then.

As our minds became filled with more and more knowledge about "religion" and we got somewhat distracted by the details of what this verse and that verse might mean in our lives, well, we just kind of lost the true joy we had and the wonder of what God did in our lives. While that knowledge is good, of course, and we ought to learn as much as we can, something we cannot do is to let the knowledge of the details replace the miracle in our lives of God's love and His gift of eternal life for us. Let's not lose sight of the forest in front of us because of the trees that might begin to hide it.

Today, I want all of us, me included and maybe most of all, to read these verses and do all we can to remember what we were before we grasped the meaning of our own personal salvation, and then to recall the time that shortly followed. I want us to try to recapture the wonder of God's miracle in our lives.

What I want, for you and for me, is to feel that true joy again.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Be Still

Good Morning,

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

This verse coming to me directly following the message about morning prayer yesterday seems appropriate.

We spoke yesterday about beginning our day with prayer; praising and worshipping God and presenting our petitions to Him as we begin each day and before we do a whole lot else. Today, what this verse says to me is that after we've done as we should in our prayer time we ought to then "Be still..." God tells us through this verse that we are to acknowledge Him..."...know that I am God..." and then, realize that He "...will be exalted among the nations...exalted in the earth."

So, what do you do when you finish your time of prayer? Whether it be as we discussed first thing in the morning or at any other time of the day?

Unfortunately, what most of us do is arise and go about our normal, daily business. Get some breakfast, read the news paper, watch the Weather Channel, get ready for work, get the kids off to school, oh, so many things to do to be "ready" for the day to commence in our lives. I say "unfortunately" because, at least what I hear, is that we haven't spent some very important time simply being still, knowing that He is God, and waiting for Him to speak to us. This time of stillness is, I think, of equal importance...maybe more important...than what we have said as we took the time to pray. Now, after we tell God our thoughts, give Him praise and worship Him as we should, now we need to simply await to hear what He has to say to us.

You see, that's one of the problems with prayer...we don't spend the time finishing it, spending that still, quiet time awaiting God's words to us. We complain that we don't hear from God about our prayers and that He doesn't speak to us or give us direct guidance to what we ask of Him. But, more often than not, the problem isn't that God doesn't "answer" our prayers, it's that we don't stop to listen to Him when He DOES speak to us!

So, when I read this simple verse..."Be still..."...it speaks to me that I ought to simply take some time and wait for Him to talk to me. I've had my say, now I need to let Him have His. The thing is? He will. If we will take the time and just stop and wait a while, God will speak into our minds. Remember, you can't listen to that which you cannot hear. And, if you have too much going on around you, then you are deaf to that still, small voice which speaks into your mind, heart, and soul.

So, give it a try. Yes, of course, pray to begin each day. I think we can all agree that's the absolutely best way to start a day. But then, sit back, be still and quiet, and wait...wait for your Father to speak. He will.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Morning Prayer

Good Morning,

Psalm 5:3 (NIV)
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

We have a simple precept to think about today. How, exactly, do you start each day when you awaken from your night's rest?

Do we, as David writes in this verse, rise and face the day with words of prayer on our lips and place our praise, worship, and requests before God before we do anything else? Seems to me that many of us don't do this simple thing...PRAY...the very first thing each day.

I guess I could think about all of the reasons that we should do this and then go on and list them and talk about each one. But I don't think that's a necessary thing today. No, today all we really need to do is to think about simply talking to God when we awaken and give Him honor and praise; place our requests and needs before Him; and listen a bit for Him to talk to us.

If you are one who doesn't begin the day, very first thing, in prayer and talking to God, maybe it would be a good idea to start. If you are one who does begin each day in prayer, then don't allow anything to get in the way of that and take you out of your excellent habit.

Prayer, simply talking to God...the absolute best way to start each day.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Ten Commandments...not Ten Suggestions

Good Morning,

Exodus 20:1-17 (NIV)
And God spoke all these words:
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
"You shall have no other gods before me.
"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
"You shall not murder.
"You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not steal.
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (Emphasis mine...DRB)

I've been asked about the Ten Commandments on several occasions. There are those who say that because these rules for life that were given directly by God to Moses are in the "Old Testament" that they no longer really apply to us. The reasoning is that we are no longer under the "Law" but now under grace by faith in Jesus Christ. I do, of course, agree that we are saved and forgiven of our sins only by the grace of God because we have chosen to accept Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior. There is no other way, no other sacrifice that can be offered for the forgiveness of sin...only Jesus can be that for us and only God can forgive us because of Jesus.

Okay. We agree on that, I would venture to say. But how about that "not under the law" thing and that maybe the "rules" of the Old Testament no longer apply? Well, to that I would have to ask, "What is it that gives us the idea and concept of what we might be doing that's against God and constitutes sin?" I think it would be safe to say that a good place to begin this quest would be to see what it is that we ought and ought not to do in our lives that comes directly from the mouth of God. I think that we would all agree that Moses did get the Ten Commandments right from God and didn't deviate when he wrote them down. So, it seems to me that the "rules" of the game here, that which is considered sin and sinful, come from God. Therefore, I would contend that we ARE still under God's laws when it comes to sinning...what we should do and what we shouldn't do. He, God, is the one who makes that determination. He made it when He spoke to Moses and the Israelites those many millennia ago and His words are just as true today as they were then.

The one thing that I have a bit of a challenge with is when people say that when Jesus came, died, and rose again the law no longer applies because we now have grace. I agree that we now have grace for the forgiveness of the sins we commit that go against the laws God set down, of course. But, well, what did Jesus say about this very subject? "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mat. 5:17-19) And, remember, He went on to give us a few more rules we are to live by, as well.

So, when I think of the Ten Commandments, I think of them as the basic rules I am to live by, at least do my best in trying to live by. Just because I am under grace for His forgiveness, does NOT mean that I have the liberty to go out and do as I please without regard to God's laws. Paul wrote, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Rom. 6:1-2) And, how do we know what is or is not sin if we don't have the laws to tell us?

All right. This can be a complicated, long, and drawn out discussion, I know. All I guess I really want to say, at least to myself, is that God set down some laws at one point and I belive they apply to me. For me, although not "under law" because of the grace of God, the laws still apply and when I break one, I sin. Oh, one other thing. This isn't a "pick and choose" kind of thing. If I believe that ONE of the laws is true and applies to me, then the ALL are true and apply to me. It's not up to me to decide which of God's laws are OK and which are, well, out dated.

All or none...at least for me.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David

Seek Him, Call Upon Him

Good Morning,

Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV)
Seek the LORD while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.

You know, I have to admit that I couldn't really figure out this verse for a while. "Seek the Lord while He may be found," I mean, can't He ALWAYS be found? "Call upon Him while He is near," again, isn't He ALWAYS near? So my mind sort of struggled with what was being said here and It took me some time before I realized that it isn't God who might be difficult to find and it isn't Him who isn't near. The problem lies within us, not Him.

There are times...when our lives aren't as they should be and when we are doing things we ought not to be doing...when we have great difficulty finding God. But that isn't because He doesn't want to be found, it's because we've separated ourselves from Him and we have hidden ourselves from Him. That is what makes Him hard to find. It's because of where WE are, not because of where HE is.

It's the same with calling upon Him "while He is near." It is me who has drifted far away from God and, therefore, have a tough time calling upon Him. It's certainly not Him who has gone away from me.

I think that we just don't understand, sometimes, when we have a hard time finding the Lord and can't seem to call upon Him because He seems so far away. If we look closely, we will see that the problem is within, not without.

God can always be found and will always hear our call, believe me on that. However, we must remember that it's so much easier and simpler when we are close to Him. We have to make the effort to leave where we might be...perhaps lost and far away...to get closer to Him. When we do that, we are often amazed at how close He really is and how easy it is to call on Him.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David