Ambassadors

2 Corinth 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were beseeching you by us: we pray you on Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”-

an Ambassadors is a person who represents or promotes  a country or a specific entity. We are to  represent Christ in His love, sharing out the good news that He died for our sins. We can be made right with God because He paid the price for our sins and we can now have a right relationship with Him. As ambassadors, we promote what grace can do in our life and how He can make us new creatures. We can tell others what wonderful things He has done and how He satisfies the longing of the heart. We are messengers for the gospel of Jesus. Let us go forth spreading the good news, that Jesus saves!

Storms of Life

Mark 4:37 “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now full.”-

When life happens a storm is surely to come. It matters not if you are a Christian or a non believer in God, the storms of life will rock our boat and fill it with problems and unwanted circumstances. We often wonder why things are happening in our life, especially when we are doing our best to please God. We do our best to live right and to follow His Word. We give of our self to help others or to see God’s kingdom go forward. Then all of a sudden, BAM! a wave hits us. We are shaken up and begin to fret in fear that God has forsaken us or no longer cares for us. Life happens! We are in the storm of confusion and uncertainty. In times like these, we need to remember that Christ is in the hind part of the boat. He will not let anything happen that is not His perfect will. We must learn to trust and have faith that He will calm the trouble waters, He will give us the calming peace we need to ride the storm. In times like this we have an Anchor, we can trust Him to do what is best. Life happens! But, Jesus also happens!

New Vessels

Jer. 18:4 “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it.”-

Our life is a vessel that needs to be remade into a vessel that can be used by God. From birth, our vessel was damaged, disfigured, and full of debris. In order to be used for God, the vessel must be crushed and made into clay, and be reshaped into a vessel that is fit to be filled with His love. God takes our self-will life and turns it into a life that seeks only the will of God. God can not only take the sin in our life and forgive us making us new vessels, but He also can take the imperfection that human nature creates and mold and make it a vessel of honor. We all have places in our lives that need improvement and reshaping. We need to let God mold us, make us, and use us for His work and kingdom. 

Life's Focus

Heb 10:34 “knowing in yourselves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance.”-

We live in a materialistic world. the gathering of stuff occupies our life daily. we buy new houses, new cars, and fill our house with stuff to make it look nice. This is the culture we live in. The danger is that this becomes our focus in life. Work to fill our “barns”. But we are also living in a day of uncertainty, and life has a way of turning things around. Losing a job, a fire burning our house down, illness in the family, and many other things that can happen. It times like these, we must have our focus on what really matters in life. Things that will endure for eternity. Storing up treasures in heaven. focus on relationship, focus on living for God, focus on sharing the love of Jesus. These are the things that really matter. 

Without Love

1 Corinth 13:2b “though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not charity, I am nothing.”- 

Without faith it is impossible to please God, and without love it is impossible to see God. Love, the greatest passion known to man. It will win over hate every time if it comes from God. Without love, our life has no purpose and it will end without hope. Every day we are given a chance to show love to God and to others. Having God’s love in our life and letting it work in our life should be the purpose we live. Our faith at times may be weak and we sometime may falter in our trust. Satan can bring discouragement and we faint in well doing, but love is a choice. We wake up each day and make the choice to love God and show our love to those we will encounter that day. Love must come from the heart and flow from a love for God. There are many people who show acts of kindness, but it does not flow from a heart that loves God. Paul even says, that a person could even be willing to die for someone else, but if done without divine love, it is of no worth. “May today bring me new opportunities to manifest the love of God to a hurting world, may His love flow through me so that others may say, ‘ I see Jesus’”.

The Word of God

Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”-

The secret to living a holy life, one that keeps the smile of God on us is to live in His word. To hide the Word of God deep in our hearts. It is good to read and to memorize His word, but we must simulate His word in our lives and let the Word of God live in us and through us. His Word is more that just a receipt for good living, it is the essence of our life. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life”- John 1:1 . He is the Word that lives within us. It is Jesus that we hide in our hearts that we might live a life holy and righteous before God. The written page, electronically or on paper is still holy and sacred, but they are only words if they don’t change our lives.

His Purpose

Ecc 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven”-

Winter, fall, summer, and spring, the four seasons of the year. Fall is now here and the nights are getting darker earlier, the evenings and days are cooling down. The leaves from the trees are all falling, and nature is going into hibernation. The season to prepare for the coldest part of the year. We may or may not like the cold weather to come, but God has designed it that way for a purpose. We live for God for a purpose, and God has His purpose for each one of us. Every purpose is timed in our lives by God. He see us when we are struggling and doing what we know is best. We go through times when we hurt, and we wonder why the test, but He has His purpose. We learn to trust God to do what is best and believe Him to fulfill His purpose in our lives. 

The Good Ole Days

Job. 29: 4,5 “as I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me”-

We see life through the lens of our present circumstances. We sometimes look back and wish for the old days. Maybe there were days when we had more friends, or days when it seem that God was blessing more. “The good ole days”. Job remembered days when things were good and life was blessed having a home and family to love. Now, his circumstance have changed and he wonders why God has deserted him. When things are not going good, we our tempted to think that God no longer cares and has left us to fend for ourselves. But, God is the master orchestra director and composer and knows the song of our life. He sees the start to finish and wants us to trust Him. “Father, my circumstance don’t always look favorable, and I sometimes wish for the days of old. But today is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. For you Lord, have all things under control, and I choose to trust you for today”

Count For God

Psalm 39:4 ““Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am.”-

Every day is given to us by God, we must not waste time for we know not when time will come to an end. David desired to know how many years he had left to live, but our life is in the hands of God who knows the measure of our days. It is our responsibility to make sure that every day counts for God. The cares of life consume much of our lives. We toil through the day to make a living to provide food and shelter. We go to work so that we have the means to take care of our needs and our wants. We come home and take care of our homes and to be with our families. Our time is spent on legitimate things that are good and wholesome. But often the most important things in life are left out and only done if time is permitted. We must make our time count for God. Time to worship Him, time to talk to Him, time to read His Word and meditate on Christ. Time to serve in ministry to give of our time to show others the grace of God. This is what separates us from the world. Life is more than a journey of survival, it is a life lived in Christ. “Dear God, time is so quickly moving and my days and years will soon come to an end, help me to live each day for you and let each day count for God”

Forgiveness

Luke 23:34 “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they parted His raiment and cast lots.-

Forgiveness- What does it mean to forgive? Forgiveness is an action and not an emotion. It is done with purpose regardless how we may feel. It is one of God’s graces that is given to Christians who face injustice to self or others we love. Temptation to retaliate and get revenge are real emotions that Christians with human emotions must resist and overcome. We live in a selfish world and people will act in ways that will cause others to be hurt. They are blinded by sin and they know not what they do. Even when they know they are doing wrong, sin justifies their actions. Forgiveness will not justify the wrong doing, but will see that people living for self and self gratification need to come to Jesus and be saved. Learning to forgive is not always easy, but it is the way of Christ. If we are to be like Him, we must learn to forgive. For God, who has forgiven us of our selfish living, desires that we also forgive them who do likewise. “Dear Lord, it is not always easy to forgive those who have hurt and have done us wrong, but give me the grace to overcome my feelings and give me the power of Christ to forgive others, even as you have forgiven me”

Sincere in Heart

Joshua 24:14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord.”-

A sincere heart is a tender heart. Sincerity is a character trait that speaks of someone who has good intentions. It is possible to be sincere, but yet misguided in our purpose. Being sincere is a good start, but it must be focus on truth. Being sincerely wrong or placing our purpose on things that are not true will lead us down a dead end path. Serving God with sincerity is to have a motive to do what is right and to walk in truth. Truth is given to us through God’s Word. There are many religions that are built on faulty premises and many good people sincerely adhere to the teaching of those religions. Their religion is built on a foundation created by a man’s belief. Christianity is built on the teaching of Christ, who is God and is truth. Putting away other gods is to put away the religions, or teaching that are not founded on God’s Word.

Our Petitions to God

1 John 5:15 “ And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”- 

According to His will, His will is that all be saved, sanctified, and His name glorified. We can know that He hears us when we pray in His will. Our petitions to God for the salvation of those who are lost in sin and away from God will not go unheeded. Our petition to draw closer to God, to be set apart in holiness is the desire of our Lord. The request that we make that will bring glory to Him, God will not ignore. Whatsoever we ask, according to will, we can know that He hears us.