"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever." Ex 14:13
Worrying is an interesting pursuit. It comes naturally to us all. Whenever we find ourselves in a conundrum without the ability to affect the outcome, worrying is a default reaction. We fret, we discuss it with our friends, we cry, we get depressed and become despondent. Did you ever notice the effectiveness of that particular tactic?
The fact is, worrying has never accomplished a thing. Faith in God, however, always yields results, even if the result is greater reliance on Him. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1. That substance and that evidence are products and proof of His existence. It is when we come to the end of our own abilities and efforts, possessing no other means to affect the situation that we are forced to stand still. It is during these still moments and times that the glory of God burns brightest.
Do you want to see God? Stand still!
[Memory verse of the week: Rev 3:20-21]
In Revival,
Lee
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Forgive-DD 4/29/2010
"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."
Matt 6:14-15
Forgiving others can be an awful tough thing to do. Man is capable of all kinds of inhumanity to man. It is unnecessary to list offenses because it is suspected that at the reading of the scripture, many if not all of us went to a place in our minds where a struggle to forgive resides.
Sometimes we just have to get down to biblical brass tacks. There is no maybe, there is no probably and there is no might. The Lord unequivocally says that we are to forgive, period. He even goes further to say that His forgiveness of us is absolutely conditional upon our forgiveness of others. Let us be clear; if we do not forgive others, He will not forgive us!
Beware also of "forgiveness fatigue," when faced with the need to forgive more than once or twice. "Then came Peter to him and siad, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Seven times? Jesus said to him, 'Not seven times, but seventy times seven.'" Matt 18:24.
Perhaps the best perspective to adopt when considering the wrongs that have been done to us is this: recall every single thing you have ever done that is outside the will of God. Everything. Remember then how you earnestly prayed, sometimes to the point of tears that God would forgive you. Then imagine God saying, "No. I will not forgive you for that. I will remember it throughout eternity and will periodically remind you of what you have done." Who among us would be able to live under such condemnation? When we fail to forgive, we not only subject our fellow human beings to the earthly version of this, but we perhaps unwittingly, subject ourselves to the eternal version of this.
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." Mark 11:25
[Memory verse of the week: Rev 3:20-21]
In Revival,
Lee
But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."
Matt 6:14-15
Forgiving others can be an awful tough thing to do. Man is capable of all kinds of inhumanity to man. It is unnecessary to list offenses because it is suspected that at the reading of the scripture, many if not all of us went to a place in our minds where a struggle to forgive resides.
Sometimes we just have to get down to biblical brass tacks. There is no maybe, there is no probably and there is no might. The Lord unequivocally says that we are to forgive, period. He even goes further to say that His forgiveness of us is absolutely conditional upon our forgiveness of others. Let us be clear; if we do not forgive others, He will not forgive us!
Beware also of "forgiveness fatigue," when faced with the need to forgive more than once or twice. "Then came Peter to him and siad, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Seven times? Jesus said to him, 'Not seven times, but seventy times seven.'" Matt 18:24.
Perhaps the best perspective to adopt when considering the wrongs that have been done to us is this: recall every single thing you have ever done that is outside the will of God. Everything. Remember then how you earnestly prayed, sometimes to the point of tears that God would forgive you. Then imagine God saying, "No. I will not forgive you for that. I will remember it throughout eternity and will periodically remind you of what you have done." Who among us would be able to live under such condemnation? When we fail to forgive, we not only subject our fellow human beings to the earthly version of this, but we perhaps unwittingly, subject ourselves to the eternal version of this.
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." Mark 11:25
[Memory verse of the week: Rev 3:20-21]
In Revival,
Lee
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Love Your Enemies-DD 4/28/2010
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Matt 5:44
To be sure, we all, if not now then at some point in our lives, have endured adversarial relationships. There are so many ways that we as individuals find ourselves at cross purposes with others. These situations can range from mild avoidance to open hostility. We are often involved in employing an offensive strategy of retribution for past transgressions or a defensive strategy when we are under attack. This seldom, if ever, accomplishes anything at all.
Whenever we think about our enemies, we should immediately think about ourselves and our relationship with God. He has said, "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." 1 John 4:20
We must also remember that at one time, we were enemies of our very Creator, yet He loved us and saved us through the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. We know from the scene at the garden of Gethsemane that this was not an easy thing. Likewise, it may be difficult to reconcile with your own enemies. The Lord, however, has given us both the command and the example to love despite it all. To be sure, your enemies may not respond favorably to your overtures. Know that God never commanded or equipped you to make your enemies love you, but for you to love them demonstrably through prayer and good deeds.
The more enemies you love, the fewer you will have.
[Memory verse of the week: Rev 3:20-21]
In Revival,
Lee
To be sure, we all, if not now then at some point in our lives, have endured adversarial relationships. There are so many ways that we as individuals find ourselves at cross purposes with others. These situations can range from mild avoidance to open hostility. We are often involved in employing an offensive strategy of retribution for past transgressions or a defensive strategy when we are under attack. This seldom, if ever, accomplishes anything at all.
Whenever we think about our enemies, we should immediately think about ourselves and our relationship with God. He has said, "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." 1 John 4:20
We must also remember that at one time, we were enemies of our very Creator, yet He loved us and saved us through the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. We know from the scene at the garden of Gethsemane that this was not an easy thing. Likewise, it may be difficult to reconcile with your own enemies. The Lord, however, has given us both the command and the example to love despite it all. To be sure, your enemies may not respond favorably to your overtures. Know that God never commanded or equipped you to make your enemies love you, but for you to love them demonstrably through prayer and good deeds.
The more enemies you love, the fewer you will have.
[Memory verse of the week: Rev 3:20-21]
In Revival,
Lee
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Mmm Mmm Good-DD 4/27/2010
" As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:"
1 Peter 2:2
With a new baby in the house, it is easy to find resonance in this scripture. The little ones have neither the ability nor the desire to eat a big juicy steak or a quick burger at the local fast food franchise. As newborns, they need one thing and one thing only for their nourishment. They need milk.
Milk, particularly mother's milk, provides them with ever nutrient needed to facilitate their growth and development. It has properties that help them to resist illness and build up their immune systems. It is nothing short of the perfect food. If you have ever seen one of the little ones go after it, you will know that their desire for it is strong and seemingly continuous. Before, long, their weight and vitality begins to multiply. Lastly, the feeding is an incredible bonding experience between mother and child.
As Christians, we too need spiritual food. Our food is the word. Like milk, it is the perfect food for us. It promotes spiritual growth and helps us increase our resistance to sin. There is nothing in it that is not needed and none of it should go to waste. We are to crave the word, needing to access it frequently lest we begin to perish, or worse, seek junk food creeds and catechisms that will ultimately destroy us. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness found therein. This hunger brings us ever closer to our Lord.
Whether we come into contact with the written or spoken word, the scriptures are vital to our Christian lives and good for our souls.
"How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Psalms 119:103
[Memory verse of the week: Rev 3:20-21]
In Revival
Lee
1 Peter 2:2
With a new baby in the house, it is easy to find resonance in this scripture. The little ones have neither the ability nor the desire to eat a big juicy steak or a quick burger at the local fast food franchise. As newborns, they need one thing and one thing only for their nourishment. They need milk.
Milk, particularly mother's milk, provides them with ever nutrient needed to facilitate their growth and development. It has properties that help them to resist illness and build up their immune systems. It is nothing short of the perfect food. If you have ever seen one of the little ones go after it, you will know that their desire for it is strong and seemingly continuous. Before, long, their weight and vitality begins to multiply. Lastly, the feeding is an incredible bonding experience between mother and child.
As Christians, we too need spiritual food. Our food is the word. Like milk, it is the perfect food for us. It promotes spiritual growth and helps us increase our resistance to sin. There is nothing in it that is not needed and none of it should go to waste. We are to crave the word, needing to access it frequently lest we begin to perish, or worse, seek junk food creeds and catechisms that will ultimately destroy us. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness found therein. This hunger brings us ever closer to our Lord.
Whether we come into contact with the written or spoken word, the scriptures are vital to our Christian lives and good for our souls.
"How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Psalms 119:103
[Memory verse of the week: Rev 3:20-21]
In Revival
Lee
Monday, April 26, 2010
If The Lord Wills-DD 4/26/2010
"Come now, you who say, " Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, " If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." James 4:13-15
In this day and age, we busy ourselves with all kinds of pursuits. They are many and varied in their content and scope. These activities often involve setting goals, creating action steps and measuring impact or results. This is what every job teaches us to do. That training filters into our family life and becomes who we are.
I submit to you that there is a missing component in all of our grand planning. Too often, we fail to consult God. Surely he has equipped us with ability, however, the greater gift is His ability. The scriptures are replete with examples of times and events where God's direction was sought in prayer and times when it was not.
To be clear, prayer does not guarantee the success of our plans. The point is that He may have other plans for us or the situation. We are but a small component of the His grand plan and we do not often see or understand our place in it. This is where faith comes in. We must rely upon our Father to know what is best and to do what is best.
When you plan pray. When you pray always pray that your righteous desires will fit within the will of the Almighty.
[Memory verse of the week: Revelation 3:20-21]
In Revival,
In this day and age, we busy ourselves with all kinds of pursuits. They are many and varied in their content and scope. These activities often involve setting goals, creating action steps and measuring impact or results. This is what every job teaches us to do. That training filters into our family life and becomes who we are.
I submit to you that there is a missing component in all of our grand planning. Too often, we fail to consult God. Surely he has equipped us with ability, however, the greater gift is His ability. The scriptures are replete with examples of times and events where God's direction was sought in prayer and times when it was not.
To be clear, prayer does not guarantee the success of our plans. The point is that He may have other plans for us or the situation. We are but a small component of the His grand plan and we do not often see or understand our place in it. This is where faith comes in. We must rely upon our Father to know what is best and to do what is best.
When you plan pray. When you pray always pray that your righteous desires will fit within the will of the Almighty.
[Memory verse of the week: Revelation 3:20-21]
In Revival,
Lee
Friday, April 23, 2010
Resist Temptation-DD 4/23/2010
"Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matt 26:41
One of the great realities in life is that we know right from wrong. Whether we receive our morals from the bible, law, society or upbringing, we are fitted with an innate sense of good and evil. Depending on the afforementioned sources, what may be absolutely right for some may be absolutely wrong for others. Romans 14:5 bears this thought out. Romans 14:22-23 tells us that we get into trouble when we start operating outside of our convictions (just read the whole chapter). Let us then, each consider the following as it relates to ourselves and not what we see in others.
Having an understanding of righteousness, why are we so easily tempted to dabble, if not jump completely into sin? We were all born with a sin nature. We were all born into darkness. It is in fact, our native tongue and from whence we come. Thanks be to God that we were saved from sin but in truth, we are never far from it. We make many frequent visits to our former home whether it is through the desires of the eye, the flesh or our pride, 1 John 2:16.
Our ever present task is to resist temptation. This is absolutely critical to our spiritual health and welfare. Though sin may be attractive to our old selves because of the way it looks, feels, smells and tastes, we must know that these temporary pleasures end in death. In that none of us are free from sin, resisting temptation represents a difficulty for all of us. Be assured that it is not as difficult as leaving heaven, being abused by those you created and dying an agonizing self sacrificing death for people who to this day do not accept it or believe it. How is that for perspective?
We are not, however, without help. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Cor 10:13. It is up to us to use the escape God provides.
[Memory verse of the week: Phi 3:13-14]
In Revival,
Lee
One of the great realities in life is that we know right from wrong. Whether we receive our morals from the bible, law, society or upbringing, we are fitted with an innate sense of good and evil. Depending on the afforementioned sources, what may be absolutely right for some may be absolutely wrong for others. Romans 14:5 bears this thought out. Romans 14:22-23 tells us that we get into trouble when we start operating outside of our convictions (just read the whole chapter). Let us then, each consider the following as it relates to ourselves and not what we see in others.
Having an understanding of righteousness, why are we so easily tempted to dabble, if not jump completely into sin? We were all born with a sin nature. We were all born into darkness. It is in fact, our native tongue and from whence we come. Thanks be to God that we were saved from sin but in truth, we are never far from it. We make many frequent visits to our former home whether it is through the desires of the eye, the flesh or our pride, 1 John 2:16.
Our ever present task is to resist temptation. This is absolutely critical to our spiritual health and welfare. Though sin may be attractive to our old selves because of the way it looks, feels, smells and tastes, we must know that these temporary pleasures end in death. In that none of us are free from sin, resisting temptation represents a difficulty for all of us. Be assured that it is not as difficult as leaving heaven, being abused by those you created and dying an agonizing self sacrificing death for people who to this day do not accept it or believe it. How is that for perspective?
We are not, however, without help. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Cor 10:13. It is up to us to use the escape God provides.
[Memory verse of the week: Phi 3:13-14]
In Revival,
Lee
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Stuff vs. Heaven-DD 4/22/2010
"But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions." Matt 19:21
It can hardly be argued that we live in society that esteems material possessions highly. People who have accumulated great wealth are often placed on pedestals. Their "wrongs" are overlooked and their "rights" are magnified. Many of us aspire to be like them or to position ourselves close to them in the hopes that we can somehow come close to their lifestyle. Earthly wealth and success however, can be an amazingly short term thing. Jesus said in Matt 19:24, "It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
Moses, when faced with the decision to continue living in the lap of luxury or sacrifice all in pursuit of God, willingly left the position, power and possessions of Egypt. The rich young ruler made a different choice. While Moses looked forward to Christ, the young ruler spoke to him face to face. When he was told to leave his possessions in order to gain heaven, he famously walked away.
Beloved, we must all be acutely aware that our present is not our future. Whether abjectly poor or fabulously opulent, we must all know that an eternity with the Father will be beyond what we have the ability to conceive. Nothing that we possess in this present time should be allowed to keep us from that future. Put another way, don't let anything on earth keep you out of heaven.
[Memory verse of the week: Phi 3:13-14]
In Revival,
Lee
It can hardly be argued that we live in society that esteems material possessions highly. People who have accumulated great wealth are often placed on pedestals. Their "wrongs" are overlooked and their "rights" are magnified. Many of us aspire to be like them or to position ourselves close to them in the hopes that we can somehow come close to their lifestyle. Earthly wealth and success however, can be an amazingly short term thing. Jesus said in Matt 19:24, "It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
Moses, when faced with the decision to continue living in the lap of luxury or sacrifice all in pursuit of God, willingly left the position, power and possessions of Egypt. The rich young ruler made a different choice. While Moses looked forward to Christ, the young ruler spoke to him face to face. When he was told to leave his possessions in order to gain heaven, he famously walked away.
Beloved, we must all be acutely aware that our present is not our future. Whether abjectly poor or fabulously opulent, we must all know that an eternity with the Father will be beyond what we have the ability to conceive. Nothing that we possess in this present time should be allowed to keep us from that future. Put another way, don't let anything on earth keep you out of heaven.
[Memory verse of the week: Phi 3:13-14]
In Revival,
Lee
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