IN THIS PLACE

Take a moment and look around. Who do you see? Not just with your eyes, but more importantly with your heart. Jesus has told us that he will never leave us or forsake us. Do you see him in this place right now where you are? Jacob in one of the lowest spots in his life, one of the darkest spots in his life, encounters God. God made a promise that he would never leave him, that he would be his provision, and that he would bless him. We have that same promise today. The first person we see in this place should be our Lord. Regardless of where we are, or our circumstances, He is here to bless us and guide us.

Genesis 28:16 (ESV)

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Put Off… Put On

Life Action Ministries handed out a wonderful paper with Scriptures that showed what we as believers should remove from our lives and the counter part of what that void should be replaced with. I love focusing on the “put ons”, while the put offs are a little harder for me to deal with. Sin is attractive and a big part of this world. While we live in this world, we are not to be of this world. We must fight against the flesh to be Holy as He is Holy.

Deuteronomy 11:16 (ESV)

16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;

Can Anyone Hear Me?

Have you ever felt like, in your distress, that no one could hear you? Or maybe, no one was listening? Here are some promises from our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 34:4-7 (ESV)

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Psalm 18:6 (ESV)

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Child Like Love

Have you ever noticed how children love unconditionally? They don't see labels that set people apart, and they seem to have an endless supply of love to give. To witness a toddler give a hug is priceless and to receive a hug from a toddler is even better. Let us learn from their example on how to love as Christ loves. Jesus knows us through and through and still loves us, despite our faults and shortcomings. His love never fails. Let us love others like Jesus loves.

John 13:34-35 (ESV)

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Godly Jealousy

Most of the time, jealousy is not a good thing to witness. Jealous people seem to feel bad about themselves, so they see others as rivals. If someone is jealous of you, realize that they may be threatened by you. God’s jealousy for us is a good thing. He claims us as His own and He wants the best for us. Just as God wants the best for us, we should want the best for others.

Exodus 20:5-6 (ESV)

5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Compassion

All around us are needs, and God will bring them to our attention. Those needs can motivate us to put our compassion into action, and those actions will encourage others as we show them the love of Christ. Remember that you and your actions may be the only message of the gospel that another might see.

We too should “clothe [ourselves] with compassion,” Colossians 3:12

Good Doesn’t Just Happen

Who doesn’t like a good meal? I think we all do, but preparing a good meal takes time and effort. The same holds true with a good marriage, a good garden, a good friendship, a good car wash and wax, good grades, and so on. All of those things take time and effort. We know God is good all the time, and we are to strive to be more like Him which takes time and effort. Will we ever reach perfection? No, but our goal is to work a little harder every day to be a little better than the day before. “Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

Good is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.

      Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt 5:48

Title or Heart

Years ago, a good friend of mine was so heartbroken because he could not qualify to be a deacon in our church. We talked about it, and I asked him what he thought about my ministry in the church. I told him that many people saw my ministry as what I got paid to do. If I showed up for someone, it was expected. If a deacon showed up, it was expected. If this friend showed up, people wondered why. Ministry is having the heart of God; it’s not about a title or expectation of others. At Martin’s funeral, so many testimonies were shared about his ministry…a ministry from the heart. God is more concerned with the heart than a title with responsibilities. Let everything we do be from our hearts.

1 Samuel 16:7 CSB

[7] But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the LORD sees, for humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.”

Go and then

God gave Noah a task to do and He did it. While people ridiculed him, he was president in doing what God had called him to do. Then God directed him to walk through the door and go into the Ark. It was by faith that he entered the Ark. Then his family followed his faith. It was by faith that they too entered the Ark. Many people watch our actions, some from afar. We may never know all of those that we touch with our actions. Will our actions lead people to follow our faith in the Lord?

Genesis 7:7 (ESV)

7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

You Can Buy Dirt

There is a County Western song that says that you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy dirt. I believe that happiness comes from circumstances. And there are times when happiness is nowhere to be found. Joy and Peace are available to believers 24/7 regardless of the circumstances. Joy and Peace are a gift that God has for us.

Romans 15:13 (ESV)

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

The Wrapping

The tree is surrounded by nicely wrapped packages. Which ones are the first to be opened? Big or little usually doesn’t matter if there is one that outshines the others the way it is wrapped. Over the years I have noticed that jewelry stores usually do a better job wrapping than the other stores. The greatest gift that man can receive is the gift of eternal life with our Heavenly Father. It is the precious gift! Yet, we are the wrapping paper that God uses to present His gift to men. What is it about you and me that wants others to open this great gift?

Galatians 5:22-25 (ESV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Relationship

I have a wonderful relationship with my wife. We spend time with each other almost every day. It is that time and days apart that makes me yearn to be with her even more. Yes, after 46 years of marriage; I am still learning more about her. The only relationship that I value more than the one I have with Karen is the relationship I have with my Lord. What kind of relationship would I have with the Lord if I just spent one day with Him? What if I failed to talk daily with Him?

Psalm 63:1-4 (ESV)

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

Reap what you sow

There is a natural law at work in the idea of sowing. You plant and you harvest what you plant. Gravity is similar. Gravity will work for you and then you might think against you. If you jump, gravity will bring you back down. If you fall, it will let you. If you plant good somewhere down the line you will get good. If you plant bad things, that too will catch up with you. Take time to evaluate your actions.

A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:7–9)

Woman

Our Bible Study for this week covers, God making woman. My first thought was, what did she look like? I know that is not somewhere my mind should have gone, but it did. My first and only response was that she must have looked like Karen (my wife of 46 years). A woman’s greatest beauty comes from her image of God, her spirit. Long before I ever was, God knew that I needed a help mate, a person that I could have a relationship with that would enhance my life. Yes, God is all about relationships. First and foremost, we should walk with him. Then let Him bless us with other relationships so that we are not alone. If God desires that you do not have a spouse, he will put others in your life who will be there for you, so you are not alone. I thank the Lord for the relationship He has with me, for the relationship I have with my bride, and for the many relationships with others who have helped discipled me.

Genesis 2:18 (ESV)

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

What is in a Name?

When Karen and I were deciding on names for our children we purchased a name book. Striving to find the right name for our children was not just a choice on a whim. We wanted to name them with a name that would help develop their character in a positive way. We wanted the best for them.

Philippians 2:9-11 CSB

[9] For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow- in heaven and on earth and under the earth- [11] and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. …

What Do You Expect?

Do you expect turkey for Thanksgiving? Do you expect red lights to turn green? When told there is a 90% chance of rain, do you expect rain? What did the women expect when they went to the tomb? What do you expect from God today?

Mark 16:5-6 (ESV)

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.

6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

Face in the Mirror

A friend was sharing how people need to be more concerned about their walk with the Lord than the walk others have. His illustration was that “You need to look in a mirror when shaving.” There have been a few times that a mirror was not available when it came time for me to shave. That is when I should have used an electric razor. My friend’s statement cuts to the point when Jesus was talking about trying to get a speck out of someone’s eye while having a log in your own eye. When people see believers search your heart and show you what you need to shave out of your life.

Matthew 7:3-5 (ESV)

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

4 Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye when there is the log in your own eye?”

5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Be Thankful

Recall after God led His people out of Egypt they began to complain. Their cravings, and their confused memories, left them short-sighted and unhappy—and they began to say they were better off in Egypt! How many times do we fail to thank the Lord for the blessings He has given us.

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning. . . . thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. Exodus 16:13-14

How You Say It Matters

I was told some important information this past week, but the manner in which I was told was not even close to being kind. Not sure if the messenger was having a bad day, or if that was his/her personality. I walked away with some great information, and I chose not to let the harsh words define my day. We need to remember that how we say things to others matters as we are a reflection of Christ.

Proverbs 15:4 Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Colossians 3:12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Transformers

When my boys, were young they enjoyed playing with Transformers. They could transform what looked to be an ordinary car into a robot of destruction at will. After conquering that playful task, they would transform their toy back into a playful simple car. When Jesus told us to be transformed into His image, He did not mean to be as a child’s toy. We are not to bounce back and forth with our desires. We are to die to our old nature.

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.