Category: Uncategorized

Escaping the Darkness of Political Correctness

1 Corinthians 4:13

when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world–right up to this moment.

Paul and those who joined with him in spreading the gospel message were attacked viciously by the social media of their day.  How remarkable it is that Paul’s words of 2000 years ago are so accurate today.  The voice of our corrupt world screams out against the gospel message wherever it is presented.  The persecution of Tim Tebow and every other celebrity that speaks out for Christ are all perfect examples.  They, and every other proclaimer of the Gospel, suffer vicious attacks in all forms of media simply because they are willing to express the truth about their Savior. 

Unfortunately, the attacks of the enemy have quieted the voices of most Christians.  We have sat back and watched as prayer has been taken out of our schools and community events.  We have allowed the Ten Commandments to be removed from display in public places.  We have sat idly as the mention of Jesus has basically been banned in any form, unless of course, it is used to ridicule Him.

Now more than ever, as the world spins faster and faster toward total destruction, we must become the lamps on the hill that provide the light to those that are in darkness.  If we don’t, who will?

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the blessings that You have bestowed on our nation.  We praise You for granting us the privilege of living in the greatest nation that has ever existed.  We come before You, Lord, and ask for forgiveness for allowing Your Truths to be taken out of our society, to be spit upon and ridiculed just as Your Son was at Calvary.  We ask, Father God, that You shine Your Light upon our land so that the darkness that we have allowed to creep in will be overshadowed.  Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may the laws of our land and the actions of our people come into alignment with Your laws, Your commandments and Your Holy Word.  Once again may we call upon You as the God in whom we trust.  We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

Compelled to Serve

1 Corinthians 9:16
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

It is certain that not every follower of Jesus Christ is called to stand in the pulpit to preach the gospel.  It is just as certain that every follower of Jesus Christ is called to live the gospel and to serve their Master in the manner in which He has called them.  

There will be no peace in our hearts if we take a different direction than the one the Lord set aside for us.  Just as Paul was compelled to preach, we are compelled to proclaim the gospel through our obedient response to Our Lord’s calling on our lives.

If we are gifted with a beautiful singing voice, we should be using it for God’s glory.  If we are gifted with organizational skills, we should be using them to help with the administration of the church.  If we have been given teaching skills, we should be leading bible studies.  The list goes on and on.  There are no skills that cannot be used by God for the advance of His kingdom.  We should search for guidance from the Holy Spirit to find out the skill or skills that God has planned uniquely for each of us.  If we neglect the calling that God has placed on our lives, we may not face His wrath, but we are likely to lose the gifts that He has blessed us with.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us unique skills so that we can be vital parts of the Body of Christ.   We pray that You will help us discover and develop our identity in Christ.  May Your Holy Spirit guide us and train us in our calling.  May we find peace in our service to Your Kingdom.  We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Servants of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:17
For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News–and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

Paul served the emerging church in a number of ways, but he understood that God had called him and equipped him specifically to preach the Good News.  Paul teaches us that, as we serve our churches and communities, it is important that we call on the Holy Spirit to help us to find out what God has specifically equipped us to do in service to His Kingdom.  No role is too big, nor is any role too small, when we are doing what Our Creator called us to do.

Paul made it clear to his audience that the redemptive power of the Cross did not rely on anything that he did, nor would it rely on anything that they did or said.  It is not our enticing words or the strength of our presentation that wins hearts.  We are simply vessels of the divine truth of God’s mercy on all of us.  We should never consider ourselves to be the reason that a soul came to Christ. The redemptive process is totally reliant on the supernatural work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You equip us to do Your work.  We praise You for allowing us to participate in the work of redemption made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.  We pray, Lord, that you open our eyes so that we can see the unique ways that you have endowed us to serve you.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts so that we may serve You as humble vessels of Your divine, redemptive power.  We pray all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Separated From the World

Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Paul points out three things about himself as he addresses the Romans.  These three things apply to all Christians.  1. We are called to be servants of Jesus Christ.  2. We were all called to some specific purpose for which God created us.  3. We are all separated unto the gospel of God.

When studying the original writings it is suggested that the word that was used for servant was actually quite a bit stronger.  It was rendered in the original text as “bond servant” which means someone who is subject to the will and wholly at the disposal of another.  Thus, we are called not only as servants to Jesus Christ, but as bond servants to Our King.

As His bond servants, each of us are called to a specific purpose in service to His kingdom.  But according to His will we are also “separated unto the gospel of God.”   We must realize that the redemption that we have received through the grace and mercy of Almighty God has separated us from who we were.  We are now righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.  We are proclaimers of the Good News through our spoken words and our living testimony.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for separating us from the world through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.  We bless His name for the blood that He shed so that we could live in the spirit and not in the flesh.  We pray, Father, for the grace to abandon our old lives.  We ask that You help us to understand the fullness of the redemption that You have provided us through Your Son.  We beseech You to give us the courage and the strength to proclaim Your Good News to those that you have placed in our lives.  May the world see that we have been separated unto You, Lord.  We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Blessed Hope and Assurance.

Speak to Me, Lord

John 16:13
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

Our Heavenly Father has given all of us Christians the Holy Spirit to teach us the Truth.  The Holy Spirit takes us beyond head knowledge of God into a personal relationship with Our Creator.  If we submit the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we will not only learn about Our Savior, but we will learn to relish and savor all things that glorify Jesus Christ. 

In order to profit from this awesome gift of the Holy Spirit, we must train ourselves to listen for God’s voice in our lives.  Listening to God is an acquired gift.  It is a byproduct of discipline and obedience.  We must set aside time to tune into God’s voice.  The tuning comes from setting aside time for reading the Word, prayer and meditation on the Word, as well as, personal praise and worship.  When we are obedient in all these things, God will reveal Himself to us in all aspects of our lives.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth.  We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will speak to us if we learn to listen for His voice.  Help us, Lord, to overcome the voice of our flesh.  We pray, Father, that You open our ears so that we can hear you at all times.  We ask that Your Holy Spirit help us to overcome the distractions of the world so that Your voice is not drowned out.  We beseech You, Father God, that You would strengthen us so that we can be diligent in the small things that we need to do to prepare ourselves to hear your voice.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life.

Who Are You Lord?

Acts 26:15
Then I asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

God has placed this question in all of our hearts.  When we come to a time in our lives when we are challenged to ask the question, He responds with an answer that convicts of our ignorance and our weakness.  He shows us the way, the truth and the life that is in His Son, Jesus.  He shows us a void in our hearts that can only be filled by accepting the His Son as Our Savior.

To get to this place and through this place of self-discovery and redemption, we must rely on the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a divine gift.  The Holy Spirit is the presence of the Lord with us continuously.  The Holy Spirit never leaves us.  It is only us who choose to leave the Spirit to live in the flesh.

Let us make a commitment today to let go of our lives in the flesh.  Let us become humbled, broken and repentant.  Let us allow the Holy Spirit to show us who we really are.  May the new condition of our hearts lead us to and keep us in the presence of Our Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us Your Son, Jesus.  We praise You for revealing to us that Our Lord is always present with us.  We bless the name of Jesus who brings us peace to fill our minds and His love to be our daily portion.  We pray, Father, that you will open our eyes to the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus.  We ask that the Holy Spirit reveal to us the depths of our ignorance and our iniquity.  We cry out, Lord, for the strength and the wisdom to give up our own convictions and delight in doing Your will in our lives.  We humbly plead that we will abandon our flesh and live our lives in Your presence.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our ever present Savior.

To Be Like Paul

Acts 9:4
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

Just like Paul, as Christians we have all faced the day when the Lord challenged us.  Just like Paul, Our Lord had grounds to accuse us.  Perhaps not of persecuting His church, but He certainly had grounds to rebuke us for the obstinacy and self-will of our sinful nature.  

Just like Paul, as Christians we decided to denounce our old lives and accept our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, unlike Paul, most of us have not taken our calling with the same fervency that Paul did.  We have allowed our own plans to overshadow God’s plans for our lives.

Let us set aside our own plans.  Let us seek God’s plan for our lives.  Let us submit to God’s plans for our lives with the same fervor that Paul did.  

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for drawing us to Your Son.  We praise You for setting aside a perfect plan for our lives in Your kingdom here on earth and in heaven.  We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity.  We pray, Lord, that we will not be directed by our own ambitions, but be led by Your Holy Spirit.  We claim Your promise that through Your Holy Spirit, Your strength will be perfected in our weakness.  We beseech You, Father, that You grant us a double portion of Paul’s fervor for proclaiming Your Good News to the world.  We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Blessed Hope and Assurance.

The Fullness of Jesus Christ

John 1:16
And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

There is nothing more complete, more sufficient or more perfect than the fullness of Jesus Christ.   To borrow from the teachings of Charles Spurgeon, the fullness of Christ is reflected in His Diety, His manhood, the atoning power of His Blood, His righteousness, His power over death and His endless grace to pardon, to regenerate, to sanctify, to preserve and to perfect.

The fullness of what we have received from God can be summed up in one word grace.  It is the great gift that we receive through His Son, Jesus, that we do not deserve and could never earn.  It is the unmerited good will of God directed toward us.  It is the gift that cannot be received by sinners.  It can only be received by those that have been washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.  It is all that has been perfectly and completely prepared for all men by Our Savior.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the unmerited favor that You bestow on us through Your Son, Jesus.  We bless the name of Our Savior for making it possible for us to receive Your unlimited flow of grace in our lives.  We pray, Father, that You will open our hearts to receive the fullness of Your Son, Jesus.  We ask that You show us how to tap into the inexhaustible treasure that He holds in His hands for us.  We pray all these things in His precious, holy and mighty name.

The "Much More" that God Promises

Matthew 6:30
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you–you of little faith?

Gorgeous are the wild flowers that fill our fields.  They surpass the beauty of all human invention.  They are here with us for only a brief time before succumbing to the seasons.  Yet God clothes them spectacularly.  Shall he not then provide for every need for those who He holds so dear as to grant them eternal life?

We have allowed the cares of the world to come in and we have lost our faith in the “much more” that God promises us.  We have followed the world’s lead and put our faith in our own independence.  We have tried to satisfy ourselves in all the things of the world, complicating our lives to the point that we cannot be satisfied.  Why not seek the simplicity and satisfaction of the “much more” that is ours to claim from the One who never breaks His promises?

Prayer,
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing for our every need.  We rejoice in knowing that all the treasures of Your kingdom are ours through the eternal inheritance secured for us by Your Son, Jesus.  We pray, Father, that you will help us break our worldly appetites that are impossible to satisfy.  Strengthen us, O Lord, that we may bear up to our daily troubles, stand up against our temptations and allow none of these things to move us away from You.  Help us to seek You, Father God.  We pray all these things in the name of Jesus, our endless fount of provision.

When It Pleases God

Galatians 1:15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,

When it pleased God, He called us from darkness, blindness and ignorance into the light and knowledge of the Gospel.  When it pleased God, He called us out of bondage to sin into the liberty of Christ.  When it pleased God, He called us from the fellowship of men into fellowship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  When it pleased God, He called us from dependence on our own righteousness to trusting in His Son, Jesus Christ.  It was all through His grace.  It was all in His timing.  

In our arrogance and our ignorance, we often expect God to show up exactly when we want Him to and in what manner we want Him to.  In doing so, we often miss Him when He shows up in the birds, in the trees and in the smiles and words of those around us.  The facets of Our Almighty God are beyond our understanding.  Most of His good work goes unseen and unappreciated by us.  It is the shallowness of our relationship that creates this phenomenon.  As we begin to focus entirely on Him and less on ourselves, our eyes are opened to see how everything He does is done in perfect timing when it is pleasing to Him. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the never ending flow of Your grace in our lives.  We rejoice in knowing that You have a perfect plan for our lives and that You will release it according to Your perfect timing.  We pray, Father, that you will help us to turn our focus away from ourselves and turn our attention to You.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes so that the fullness of Your grace is revealed to us in every aspect of our lives.  We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life.