He is a Friend

Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”-

Social media Facebook calls your list of connection, friends. The word is use very loosely to mean anyone that you might know or have met. My current list of “friends” is 717 people. Many of these are family members, students I taught, people I went to high school and college with, people I work with, neighbors I have known for a long time, and a host of Christian people I have known from my church affiliation over the years. Some of these people at one time were close friends that I have shared my heart with and have prayed for me during hard times. Time and distance has taken us down separate paths in life with different goals and aspirations. People change and the bond of friendship often loses their grip. Friendships are betrayed and choices are made to “unfriend” and break the bond of friendship. There are a few of these that I still consider close friends that I believe will always be there over the course of time. I cherish these friendships, but even those can change. But there is one friendship that will never change. Jesus, a friend who will stick with you no matter what happens in life. He will be with you in the dark times.  He is a friend who knows all about you, He knows your weaknesses and your strengths. He has your back when it looks like everyone else has forsaken you. He is a friend that only desires what is good for you, and will led you to a land unerring. “What a friend we have in Jesus, can we find a friend so faithful...who all our sorrows share..take it to the Him prayer”

Divine Forgiveness

Eph. 4:32 “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”-

Real forgiveness is divine. Forgiveness implies that there is no animosity toward the person that did you wrong, or treated you unfairly. It is one of the most difficult Christian attributes to demonstrate when the heart is hurting and breaking. We were made with the emotions to love and hate. To hate is not wrong, we hate sin, we hate what sin has done to our society, and how it has affected those we love. When someone is hateful, we abhor the hate they manifest. It is difficult to separate hate and the one who is hating, or hurting. How can we forgive such a person who only thinks of themselves and lives to only gratify their lustful desires. God loves the hater (sinner) and died on the cross that the hater may know forgiveness and know eternal life. This is divine forgiveness that comes from God. In the human, such forgiveness is not found. Living in the Vine means that God’s love lives within us. We are instrument and vessel that He uses to show others how God loves. If we hold bitterness and resentment toward others, we have failed to show God’s forgiveness to them. Let us put aside our pride and be kind and tenderhearted toward those who may hurt us. In most cases, those that hurt others are also hurting. Christ desires to forgive and heal those that hurt.

The Enemy of the Soul

Psalm 35:24 “Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.”-

David faced a lot of opposition from those that should have loved him most. It is tough knowing that your own flesh and blood seeks to hurt you without a righteous cause. Sin in the hearts of people causes them to lash out with cutting words and find ways to make life unpleasant. We search our hearts, asking God to examine if there is anything we may have said or done to cause such hatred. We may not have anybody that is out to get us, but Satan is the accuser of the brother and desires to bring destructions to our lives. He seeks after the apple of God’s eye and despises those who put their love and trust in God. He rejoices when a follower of Christ take another path, when those that are called Christian become bitter against each other. Satan desires to divide the power of the people of God by bringing division that is founded on things that are not worth dying for. “Lord, create a new heart within me, don’t allow Satan, the real enemy to use me in a way that will hinder the kingdom of God. Help me to seek righteousness and holiness. Defeat the power of the devil, so that your name may be glorified”. 

The Fear of the Lord

Psalm 34:4, 7 “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears...The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.”

Fear is a nature instinct of human nature. We become afraid when we sense that our lives are in danger. Confronting a stranger(s) that appear to have ill motives in mind is cause for us to run and hide. We like to be safe and secure in our home and places we go. The sound of strange noises in our home in the middle of the night will wake us up and our hearts become fearful that someone is in our home. We grab a bat, a gun, anything that will protect us from the intruder. Such response is natural and God given. But then there is fear that Satan binds us with. Fear of the unknown, fear that God does not care, fear that we are all alone to fight the battle of life on our own. This fear is born from our inability to trust God to take care of us and deliver us from these thoughts. David, the psalmist sought God to remove these thoughts from his mind. He wanted the peace of mind that God was in control and that He would protect him from bad things happening. Fearing God is not to be afraid of Him, but to recognized that God is great and mighty, He is holy and able to do anything. We serve a God who created us in His image and as our Creator we fear Him. We fall down before Him is awe and adoration knowing He is God and He is able to surround us with His presence. To know God is to fear God, for in our fear of Him, we have surrender our lives into His care. 

In The Desert

Mark 6:31 “ And He said unto them, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.”....

There is no rest for the wicked, but there is rest for the people of God. Real rest of soul, body, and mind is found in Jesus Christ. That is spiritual rest from the cares of life and the things that trouble us. But God is also concern that we don’t over tax our bodies to the point that we are no longer any earthly good. This is no reason to be irresponsible, but a reason to take time from the duties of life and allow the mind and body to heal from the demands that press on us from day to day. We all need a desert place, a place away from the call of duty. A place to renew our spirits and regain our strength to be the person God wants us to be. In the desert, we can get quiet before God and find real rest for the soul. In the desert, the distractions of life are put away and we can let our body and mind be relived of the stress of responsibility that weighs on us daily.  We are not called to live in the desert, but to rest there. Tomorrow we return to life’s duties, but today, we rest in God. 

Waiting on God

Psalm 25:5 “Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day.”-

Waiting is not my strong suit, especially when it appears that it is time wasted doing nothing. But to wait on God does not mean that we sit around and waste time. Waiting on God gives us an opportunity to renew our strength in Him. Time to reflect and examine our hearts before God. Time to seek Him in the stillness of the night. Waiting for Him to do great things, and contemplating how He will do it. The timing of God is always right and He know just the right time to make things happen. Our humanist want to see things happen now. We become impatient when progress is not being made and it looks like we our marking time. Marching in place and going no where. But they that wait on the Lord, shall have their strength renewed day by day. They let go and trust God for the future and believe that He has all things under control. 

Chariots and Horses

Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”-

In the society we live, we depend on “chariots and horses” to make a living. It is a challenge for a society that is prosperous and seemly having little need to rely on God to supply their needs. We have plenty and have need of nothing. Obviously, not everyone in our society is wealthy and secure. There are many who have little and survive to make ends meet. But, as a culture, we trust that our jobs will be there tomorrow and that we will not go hungry. It is hard for people to see that they need God. It is not until the chariots and horses and taken away that people realize that there is more to life than things. It is important that those who serve God keep things in prospective. It is God that supplies our needs. I’m thankful for the material things that God has provided and the many blessing that they bring, but Jesus is really all we need. Someday, we all may be tested. I admit, if that day ever comes, it will not be easy. But I pray that God will help me to hold loosely to the things of this world and cling to Him for the things that really matter in life. Jesus, family, friendship are what make life worth living. No time to stress out over things. May I learn to trust in the name of the Lord and hold on to those things that matter to Him. 

Finding Life

Matt 10:39 “ He that findeth his life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for My sake, shall find it.”-

Looking into the mirror of God’s Word often shows us truth that reveals the true nature of our heart. God’s Word is full of promises of grace and forgiveness. We like reading how His grace can help us through difficult times and how His love for us is unending. The truth of these word gives each one of us comfort and help to carry on. But, God’s Word is also piercing and is able to reveal things in our lives that need to be changed. To make these changes, most often will require that we put our own desires and wants on the shelf and give up our rights so that someone else can be served or helped. Life in Christ is not all about the joy of having sins forgiven. Losing our life for the sake of Christ will be seen in the way we put others first, by the sacrifices we make to give up our own pleasures and comforts to show God’s love to those around us. Love and forgiveness is not a one way street. As we receive, we are to give out. Finding life starts by denying ourselves. picking up the cross of Christ and following Him in the way of suffering. 

Beauty For Ashes

Isaiah 61:3 “...to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...”-

Jesus came to change lives. Live that are hurting, lives that have been wasted without purpose, and lives that see that they are lost without Him. From the ashes of sin and despair to the beauty of living in Christ. He came to heal the brokenhearted, to them that come meekly to Him and ask for His help, He lifts us. He sets the captive free and give a new song, a new life of freedom. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and the heavy burden that we once carried is gone and is replace with praises to Him. Life happens, and we will face circumstance that will break our hearts and cause our joy to turn to sadness, but He is faithful to send His Spirit to carry us through and turn those things into something of worth. He is worthy of our praise, for He is Jehovah, and He will provide a deliverance. 

God Leads

Ex 13:18 “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea;...”

God leads His children along. The path that He takes us is not always easy. Life’s road for most people is filled with difficult terrain. Mountains to climb and desserts to walk through is not exclusive to Christians. The difference for a Christian is the path that we walked is for a purpose that works together for good to them that love Him. Those that are called and answer the call to walk the way of the cross. We walk knowing that God is in control and problems we face along the way will draw us closer to Him and will make us stronger in our faith. Trusting God as we walk in paths of difficult circumstances is His way of leading us to the promise land. It is not ours to question God’s leadership, but we must believe that He will be with us each step of the way and His Spirit will lead us unerring through the valley of difficult times. 

Contentment in Life

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect to want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”-

Contentment in life seems to come when all is going well and everything is at peace in our lives. No conflicts, no stress, the bills are all paid up, and tragedy has not touched our lives. We sit on our porch drinking our favor beverage and contemplate the goodness of God and His blessings. Unfortunately, this is not the real world we live in. Conflicts and stress happens. We don’t always get our way, and things take place in our life’s journey that frustrates or irritates us. The circumstances we face can cause us to complain and grumble. Life is somehow not fair, and bad things are happening when we seek to do that which is good and pleasing to God. Real contentment is a process, it is a willingness to grow and trust God that He is doing what is best for us. Circumstance do not dictate whether a Christian is content or not, As we submit to the will of God, He fills our heart with contentment. We learn that giving it all to Him and resting in the arms of Jesus brings a peace that passes human understanding. Human nature, the natural man, finds contentment in the circumstance of life, but a life committed to God will learn and find contentment in the center of the will of God.

By Their Fruits

Matt. 7:20, 21 “Therefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. “Not every one that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in Heaven.

The teaching of Jesus astonished those who sat and listen to the words He spoke from this mount in Judah. He told them to judging not, and to make sure that their own heart was right with God. After we take care of our own problems we can then discern how to best judge, or when to help others, We must seek Him to help us discern truth. He promised if we ask, we will receive discernment. No one likes to be judge by someone else who also has shortcomings, we need to show others the same respect that we would like to receive when they look at our lives. There are those who have no love for the truth or desire to follow it. These are the ones that we must not let other be influence by, we must warn others not to follow someone who is using truth for their own gain. There are very few people willing to look in the mirror of God’s Word and follow it. Following it requires self denial and doing His will.  We only need to look at the fruit of their lives to see that they are not following Him. The fruit of Spirit is missing.  All who profess to follow God are not necessarily doing the will of God.  They that do God’s will are building their lives on the Way, the Truth and the Life, and living out His truth. 

Christian Home

Debt. 6:7 “ and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up.”-

Bring up children in a world that is anti-Christian is a taunting challenge for parents who desire that their children not drift away from God and His Word. We live in a day where His Word is being denied and ridiculed by those who desire to be a god unto themselves. They seek after their own lust and desires to satisfied their passions. The Word of God is relegated to just another book with some good inspirational words. As Christian parents, it is important that we keep His Word prominent in our homes. It is also important to realize that a home filled with Christian symbols and hanging scriptures does not make it a Christian home. A Christian home is lived out within the walls of the home. The words that are spoken, the attitudes that are portrayed, and the spirit that is manifest are the true evidence of a Christian home. Our love for Christ is seen in the way we treat our spouse and our children. With love and kindness one to another we share the love of Christ one to another.  Let us not forget His way, live life following the commands and precepts of His Word in the morning, through out the day, and when we close our eyes for the night. 

Stand Together

Ex 17:12 “But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat thereon. And Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”-

We all face times when the burden gets too heavy. The task and responsibilities we have to our family, our church, our jobs can weigh us down. We think we are strong enough to do it alone, but over time are “arms” get weary and it is gets harder to keep them up. How thankful we are to have someone come along beside us and help carry the load. The enemy is out to destroy and would like to see us just give up and throw in the towel. We are living too close to the end and we need each other even more in these last days. The devil would love to destroy the power of the holy people by causing division with issues that are not really that important. We need to stand together until the “sun goes down” Hold each other up in prayer, and bare one another burdens. “Lord who can I help today to lighten the load?”

America, Bend The Knee

1 Tim 2:1-2 “I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,  for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

America! A Nation that was founded on the principles of God’s word. We celebrate a Nation’s 240th birthday today. The United States of America has drifted far from it moorings. God’s word has been put aside for a more progressive form of thinking. Our Nation has fallen far from it’s God fearing days. Our leaders have no regard for what is right and holy. They ridicule the teaching of God’s word as being outdated and no longer relevant to our modern day culture. Tolerance of sin and deviant life styles has replaced godly Christian living. Standing between the wrath of God and our Nation are those who pray and intercede for the saving of our country. We pray that God will have mercy and that He will show His love to sinners and once again awaken our leaders to listen to the voice of God. God speaks, and He desires America to bend the knee and give thanks and honor to Him. We pray that our Nation will humble itself before the hand of God, confess their sinful ways and turn once again to the Almighty. He waits with open arm to see this great Nation turn their heart toward God. 

Building Relationships

Luke 19:5b And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said unto him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.”-

Building relationships requires that we take time out of our busy schedule and spend time with others. Put off that project, clean the house another day, put down the cell phone and all the social media. All of these things have there place and are important in life. But there are times that we need to stop the train, get off and spend time getting to know people face to face. Jesus, took time to visit with Zacchaeus. He desires to sit and visit with this tax collector. It matters not who they are, everyone needs someone to know they care. In a day, where the demands of life press on, it is important that we take time out our lives to connect with people in a meaningful way. May we all be willing to put people first and build relationships that will be everlasting.

Though He Slay Me

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will argue mine own ways before Him.”-

Job, a man tested without understanding shows us that the things that happen in our life often go without explanation. We do our best to live right before Him and still we face situations that often cast us to the ground. We search our heart to see if there is anything we did that would have grieved the heart of God. We ask God for the reason, and the heavens are silent. We wander in the valley of the shadow, in the darkness of the day looking for a way out. Job was determine to find God in all that was happening to him. He disregarded those who accused him of doing wrong, and made up his mind that he was going to trust God to show him out of the darkness and into the light. He had resigned to possibility that he may die from his suffering, but he knew that God who knows the heart of all men would do what is right for him. The best counsel we have is to keep trusting God, in the good and in the bad times. For God is good, and He knows what is best.