Category: Uncategorized

Knowledge Is Not Enough

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
How many times have you asked someone if they knew the answer to something and got the following response.  “I don’t know.  Just google it.”

We are amazed at what we can find and delighted in how the googling process often yields the exact information that we are looking for.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this process, if used appropriately.  It provides us with knowledge that we do not have…fast.
As amazing and effective as googling can be, there is a much faster source of knowledge that is instantly available to us without the aid of any man-made device.  Our Heavenly Father teaches us that all we have to do is ask and He will give us wisdom.   

Google can provide knowledge, but does not provide wisdom.  Wisdom is much better than knowledge.  Wisdom provides insight into how we should use the knowledge that we have accumulated.  Wisdom from God deepens our insight into how we should apply our skills and our knowledge in ways that are pleasing to Him.

Google will always provide an answer to the question that we asked.  The answers are predetermined by the search engine programming.  God will not always answer the question we asked.  Omnisciently, He will answer the question that we should have asked.  He will uniquely tailor His response to our real needs and to His will and plan for our lives.  
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have inspired and equipped others to provide us with knowledge to help us through our daily activities.  We come to You to seek wisdom, so that we may use our knowledge in ways that are pleasing to You and in ways that are used to bear fruit for Your kingdom and bring honor and glory to Your name.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to always turn to You first when we are seeking answers.  May the world know us and be drawn to Your Son through the wisdom that You provide.  We ask these things in the the name of Our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ.

The Offer of Eternal Life

Luke 23:31
For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?
As the women were weeping for the suffering of Jesus, He prophesied the terrible judgement that awaits those that do not accept the new life that He offers them.  He emphasized the message of His prophecy by using Himself as the standard against which judgement will be made.  

Jesus compared Himself to a green tree, full of life, flourishing in every aspect of its existence.  Such a tree is not proper to be cut down before its time, nor is it fit to be fuel for the fire.  The metaphor was designed to express the righteousness and innocence of Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, Jesus was comparing the sinner to dry, dead wood.  Such wood is rotten and deserving to be fuel for the fire.  The metaphor was designed to express the depravity and worthlessness of the sinner.

If He, who is pure and perfect in every measure and is the essence of life itself, had to suffer beyond the human capacity for pain and then die for our sins, why then should we, the driest of woods, not expect to die for our sins?  We can only escape the punishment for our sins and claim our inheritance as children of God by accepting the offer of eternal life through Our Savior.  

May we become vessels of the life of Christ within us.   May we look deep inside and make sure that we are not dry wood, bearing no fruit, showing no sign of allowing the life of Christ within us to be released to the world around us.  Indeed, may we seek out the dead wood around us and present the offer of eternal life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing the way, the truth and the life that is found only in Your Son, Jesus.  We praise the name of Jesus for all that He suffered on our behalf.  We rejoice in the inheritance that awaits us.  We pray that You will raise us up to be living testimonies to the new life that we have in Christ so that others may join us in our eternal places in Your kingdom.  We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

Victory Through His Resurrection

Romans 6:5
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
When we chose to accept Jesus Christ as Our Savior, we chose to let our old sinful man die.  But just as the completeness of death did not overcome Jesus quickly, neither will our old sinful nature be put to rest in short fashion.  And just as the power of His Spirit gave Jesus victory over His death, so will His Spirit within us give us victory over our sinful nature.
And just as the resurrection lifted Jesus’ spirit from His body to return to the Father, so too will the power of His resurrection lift us from our old lives and enable us to stand sinless in victory before the Father.  It will not be because we became better people.  It will be because we became completely new people in Christ.  It will be because Jesus Christ has taken residence within us, never to be separated.  It will be because we share in the benefits and feel and enjoy the effects of His resurrection.  It will because we are regenerated by virtue of His resurrection so that we may walk in newness of life.  It will be because we are sealed by His Spirit for all eternity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for raising Your Son to meet You in heaven after His death on the Cross.  Thank You for preparing the way for us to gain our eternal inheritance as Your children through the power of the Resurrection.  Father, release the full power of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we can surrender completely to our new lives in Christ, leaving behind forever the old man that torments us daily.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus, Our Risen Lord!!

The Cross Reveals the Salvation Message

Mark 15:33-38
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” … And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
The story at the Cross, as written in this sequence of verses provided by Mark, paints a picture of the salvation message.  The darkness over the entire world represents our personal sin and the sin that engulfs all of mankind.  Jesus crying out to the Father, “why have you forsaken me?”, indicates that in taking on the sins of the world Jesus was separated from the Father – who cannot have sin in His presence.  And then, the tearing away of the veil reveals that the death of Christ opened up heaven to all of us.  The veil of the old covenant had represented the separation of God from the people, except through the intercession of the assigned high priests.  Instantly and gloriously, the new covenant of salvation was opened up to all mankind with Jesus Christ as our perpetual High Priest before the Father.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for establishing the blessed hope and assurance of the new covenant through Your Son, Jesus.  May the eyes of the world be opened to see the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son.  May the hearts of the world be prepared to receive Your Son as their Savior.  May the hearts of the world be molded so that they may surrender to Your Son as their Lord, Master, and King.  May it all be for Your honor and glory, for the honor and glory of Your Son, Jesus, and for the honor and glory of the Holy Spirit.  Father, we pray that You will allow our lives to be living testimony to this glorious message.  We ask these things in the name of Our Deliver, Jesus Christ.

Bondage to Sin is Done Away With Forever

Romans 6:6
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Our corrupt nature, called the old man, is crucified with Jesus Christ by the grace granted from the Cross.  Accepting the crucified Christ as Our Savior allows us to accept the crucifixion of our old selves.  As Christ submitted totally to the Father, we also submit totally to the Father through the power of the new spirit of Jesus Christ that lives within us.
With Jesus Christ as our King, there is no place for the old man to rule.  Our bondage to sin is done away with forever.  The callings of the old man are not gone completely, however.  They exist in a weakened and dying state, struggling to stay alive within us.  

Rejoice!!  We shall be victorious against the callings of the old man.  Our union with our crucified Savior insures it. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the Precious Lamb, Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for our sins.  We accept our co-crucifixion with Jesus.  We stand before You to ask for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us as our old man tries to pull us back into sin.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will urge us to keep our eyes on the Cross and not on the world.  May it all be for the glory of the Precious Lamb.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered so much for us, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.

Taking Our Brokenness to the Cross

John 16:32
Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.
The apostles and disciples of Jesus scattered as He began His journey to the Cross.  They returned to their homes and their old jobs.  Their faith was real, but without the Holy Spirit they were not strong enough to stand up to the Cross.
Jesus calls us from different times and places in our lives, just as the apostles were called.  At some point in time, we will all be called to stand up for our faith.  In today’s anti-Christian environment, this challenge is more real than any of us could have ever imagined that it could be.  Will we scatter to our old lives when the trials of persecution, the trials of trouble or perhaps the trials of political correctness challenge us? Or will we surrender all to Our Savior?

The answer lies in Jesus Christ and has nothing to do with our own strength, capability nor merit.  We must recognize our weakness.  If we think we can stand against the world, especially against the enemy, we will certainly fall.  We must recognize how weak we are and take our brokenness – all our wounds, all our frailties, all our fears – to Our Savior.  We must allow His goodness, His love, His mercy and His kindness to become the essence of our lives.  If we accept His free gift of love and life and surrender to Him, we will never stand alone against what the world tosses our way.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that we have been called to follow Your Son.  We exalt the name of Jesus who gained victory over all sin and all evil on our behalf.  We praise His precious name as He stands forever by our sides.  We pray, Father, that we may have the wisdom and the strength to recognize and face our brokenness.  We ask that the Holy Spirit guide us in surrendering everything to Jesus.  As we are challenged by the darkness, my we call on the name of Jesus to stand up for our beliefs.  We beseech You, Lord, to complete Your work in us so that we have the courage and the faith to choose Your Kingdom and defend it against the world.  We ask all these things in the name of the perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.

Things That Make for Peace in Our Lives

Luke 19:42
If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.
As Jesus weeped over Jerusalem, He spoke the words in Luke 19 to the Jews, who He knew would reject Him and His offer of salvation.  Because they rejected His offer, He transferred His offer to the willing Gentiles.
This principle is carried out in a different way in our daily lives.  Jesus prepares us to do His work and asks us to be obedient to His calling.  Sometimes He will give us simple urgings in the spirit to do something nice for someone, to pray for someone or to ask forgiveness from someone.  Often His urging may be for a simple act to bring a smile upon the face of another. Whatever He asks of us, if we accept His bidding, we will be given greater things to do for Him.  We will experience the peace and comfort that flows from serving Him.  If we do not accept His bidding, we will miss the peace He offers and we will miss a portion of the bigger plans that He has for our lives.  Sadly, He will move on to find the one who is willing serve Him readily.

Let us not miss His peace offering as the Jews did.  If the Lord is asking us to do anything today, let us surrender to His calling. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to serve You.  We rejoice in knowing that You are pleased when we are obedient to Your urging.  We pray that You make us sensitive to the work that You call us to do.  May we find joy in even the smallest tasks.  May it all bring honor and glory to You, to Your Son and to the Holy Spirit.  We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

The Endless Gift of Love

1 Corinthians 13:7
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.
God is love.  His love is unconditional and without end.  His love for us is expressed explicitly through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. 
We are able to love because God loved us first.  He created a spot in our hearts so that we could receive His love and return it to Him.  He gave us the capacity to share His love with the world around us.  He gave us the Holy Spirit so that our love could be an endless spring.
When we are living in accordance with the Holy Spirit within us, we are capable of extraordinary service to those around us.  When we try to live by the world’s standards, we will choose to serve ourselves first.  The spontaneity of our love and service will tell us where we are living.

Let us not lose sight of the truth that the basis of our hope is so much more than our temperament.  Hope is a love gift from God.  Hope is God’s love poured out to us in the form of grace.  Hope is the absence of sourness and gloom.  Hope is the essence of the Good News of God for the world.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for loving us unconditionally.  We thank You that Your love flows to us endlessly.  Prepare our hearts, Lord, so that we may become vessels of Your perfect love.  Cleanse us, Lord, of anything in our hearts that would restrict the flow of Your love in our lives.  May we bear much fruit for Your kingdom through the spontaneous release of Your love to the world around us.  We ask, Lord, that in this Easter season we may be living proof of the regeneration of our lives through our saving relationship with Our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We ask all these things in His precious name.

Delivering Good News to the Unworthy

Acts 9:17
So Ananias departed and entered the house.  And laying hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

And in an instant, Paul not only received his physical sight, he also received the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, he received wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge of God and a holy reverence for God.  All of these gifts came on him at once. His vision of who He was in Christ, along with all of its associated power, served to allow him to replace the evil man that he had become with the new, righteous man that he was to become.
From this passage, we learn that for those of us who have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that we become new men and women in Christ just as the sinner and prosecutor of the early church, Saul, became the new man Paul.  The teaching of the Holy Spirit reveals to us the faulty mindset that the world provides, allowing us to escape our ignorance and our pride.  The power of the Holy Spirit within us allows us to become new creatures who proclaim the Good News and serve as conduits of God’s love.  

But do not miss the second message of this passage.  There would have been no conversion for Paul without the obedience of Ananias to got out and deliver the message of God, even though He questioned the righteousness of the one that he was called to minister to.  We must be careful not to withhold the message of hope from anyone because we feel they are not worthy.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the anointing that we receive as disciples of Jesus Christ.  We pray that You will open our eyes to the things of the world that are creating ignorance and pride in our lives so that we may turn away from them.  We ask that You release the gifts of the Holy Spirit into our lives so that we may see the vision that You have for our lives and be empowered to go out as messengers of hope in the world that surrounds us.  We pray that our hearts are prepared to view every person as worthy to receive the Good News that we possess.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

The Intercession of the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
While intercessory prayer is very rewarding and plays a powerful role in deepening our relationship with Our Heavenly Father, it can sometimes lead us down paths that are challenging, perhaps even frustrating.  The Holy Spirit has been placed along side of us to insure that we are not deterred by our frustrations.  There are several important areas where the Holy Spirit supports us in our weakness.

First, the Holy Spirit is our perfecter in praying for the true needs of others.  We are generally very comfortable seeking the hand of God for protection and provision for ourselves, our families and those close to us.  It is natural and easy for us to pray for those that we love.  At times, however, we may be at a loss to know what the will of God is in the lives of those that we are praying for.  We can be comforted and confident in knowing that our prayers will be perfected before the Father by the Holy Spirit.  
Second, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and soften our hearts toward all mankind.  It is not our nature to pray for those we do not feel close to or perhaps even dislike because of their behavior toward us or others.  In His ministry, Jesus often argued with the apostles because He wanted to be among those in the most need of His redemptive work, not those that were more socially acceptable.  Jesus wants us to intercede for the world around us, whether we feel drawn or repulsed by the ones that we pray for.  As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit will help build up our sensitivity to and our desire to pray for the needs of all mankind.

Finally, the Holy Spirit has been sent to strengthen us when we are personally overpowered by the things that the world has brought against us.  When we are so broken that we do not even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is beside us to silence our fears and help us through our discouragements.  Most importantly, the Holy Spirit stands with us to make intercession for us before the Father so that the enemy cannot prevail against us.  

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Holy Spirit to help us pray in accordance with Your will for our lives and the lives of others.  We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will perfect our prayers before You.  We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts to be intercessors for all of mankind.  Be they far or near, be they friend or foe, Father, teach us how to pray for their needs. When we are too weak to pray properly, or even pray at all, may Your Holy Spirit strengthen us and intercede for us.  We pray all these things in the name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.