Go To The Ant

Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; and consider her ways, and be wise:"

While sitting in my living room recently I noticed my dog, Shade, sitting at the sliding glass door peering outside through he screen.  As I watched her I noticed her nose working very intently.  It dawned on me that she was using her sense of smell to evaluate not only what she could see but also what she could not see.  The thought hit me that she was doing exactly what we are supposed to do in "seeing him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27).  God has given to us spiritual instincts to sense God and the reality of Him working in our lives.  

What it takes is disconnecting from our physical senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste.  We must learn to connect to our spiritual senses allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the hidden things of life.  These "invisible things" are just as real as everything else we sense and are so much more valuable and important in relation to the eternal things of God.

How do we improve our spiritual senses?  Sorry, but the answer is well-known to most of God's children...spending more time in the Word of God.  It does not change us overnight but with a consistant diet of reading/study the Bible will enhance one's spiritual senses.   

Have a great day!

Angels...Our Powerful Executive Assistants!

Hebrews 1:14 "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

What an awesome verse!  To be reminded of the fact that we have guardian angels ministering to us as we do the will of God!   Allow me to quickly remind us of the role the angels play in our lives.

1.  Angels have a deep interest in man (Luke 15:10).   

2.  Angels take great interest in the salvation of man (1 Peter 1:12).    

3.  Angels help us when we are in need (Ps. 34:7, Gen. 19:1, Acts 12:7-8).  

4.  Angels give us strength when tempted to sin (Luke 22:43). 

5.  Angels support us during affliction and persecution (Daniel 6:22).

6.  Angels attend to dying believers and take them to heaven (Luke 16:22).

Our ministering angels are powerful and benevolent beings that are employed to serve the children of God as we live our lives here on earth.  We have many things at our disposal to help us on a daily basis to gain victory in this life including but not limited to a loving heavenly Father, God's Word, our High Priest, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and also powerful angels that are very attentive to our daily needs!

Rise up and rejoice for the Christian truly is never alone!

Sowing Good

Galatians 6:10 "As we have therefore the opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially unto them who are of the household of the faith."

Often we are told in the Bible to do good.  The phrase "do good" is sometimes a subjective phrase unless an explanation is attached to it in the surrounding context.  The word "good" means pleasant, agreeable, joyful, and excellent.  God is saying we are to bring this quality of life to all men when we have the opportunity to do so...especially our brothers in Christ. Then in case we do not understand when and to whom we should do good we find it explained in verses 1-6. 

• In verse 1 the "good" referenced is in restoring those that have been "taken in a fault" which means helping those fallen in sin to recover.
• In verses 2-4 the "good" is about helping those that are burdened by life's hardships.
• In verse 6 the "good" is described as "communicating unto him that teacheth" which is to help in the support of those that have dedicated themselves to teaching God's people His truths.
• In verses 7-9 we are reminded/warned that if we fail to sow these "spiritual seeds of good" toward all men, especially other Christians, we will reap accordingly. Also to expect good from God when ignoring the needs of others is to mock God.

The Christian life is far more about how we have treated others and less about attempting to create some sort of pristine vessel of obedience (on the outside) to be lifted up for His glory (really man's glory!).

God help us today to take advantage of every opportunity we have to do right by others that we may sow the seeds of goodness in their lives raising their quality of living.  

The Good Life

Proverbs 16:20 "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good:"

If 10 people were faced with the same problem we could witness 10 different ways of dealing with it.  Because people are different in their upbringing and all manner of experiences they also think differently.  Each individual has his own biases, fears, strengths, and insecurities; therefore, we see that we all look at the facts to some extent differently. But the one goal we should all have in mind is to determine to act wisely in all we do.

I have said for a long time that I want to do things rightly (wisely).  I try never to "push a bad position."  I don't want to win when I'm wrong; I want to either be right or be shown my error and correct my way that I might be right next time.  This is my desire though I am sure that I am not always acting in line with it.

I hate it when my pride gets in the way of learning and behaving wisely.  

God promises "good" to all those that would act wisely.  The word "good" has the meaning of life being pleasant, agreeable, excellent, valuable, and an all-around quality of prosperity. Who does not want this?

Let's make it our goal to handle all matters today wisely.

What Seek Ye?

John 1:38 "Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye..."

As I read this recently a simple thought came to mind.  As we follow God (go to church, serve, read the Bible, pray, etc.) what are we really seeking?  Are we truly seeking to make Jesus Lord of our lives or are we simply doing what we have always done according to our Christian tradition?  Are we seeking to conform to His image through every sermon we hear or are we just doing the Christian thing by going to church? Are we serving Him out of a heart full of love for Him or are we trying to earn our way into the good graces of God?

I challenge all of us to keep this thought in mind each and every day of our lives as we follow Him...What seek ye?...What seek ye?...What seek ye?  What is the motive behind all that we do?  

What would be your answer if Jesus asked you what it was that you wanted from Him as you sat in church yesterday or as you read His word this morning?  Could you have said that you desperately want to be like Him? 

May our obedience be inspired by the motive to love Him, honor Him, and to be like Him in every area of our lives.  

  

Your Best

1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

What a mighty promise we find in this verse.  I don't know about you but I get tired of sinning and disappointing my Lord.  I understand that He already knows that we will sin and has forgiven the failure but I still find it at times gut wrenching to once again fail in my attempts to be like Him.  Some days even thinking, "What is the use in trying?"  Quickly though my mind reminds me that it is in the attempt and desire to do right that God is glorified.  Obedience is paramount!  When we fail in our attempt to obey Him God is still glorified.  When we fail to obey is when He is dishonored (see life of Saul).

What a glorious day it will be when we see Him in His glory.  Oh to be sure, there is a little apprehension on my part about all that will go on at the judgment seat but in the end to be delivered from this world of evil is a most wonderful reality.  And to be made like Him and to be a joint-heir with Him is a refreshing thought.

Give God your best today; desiring His ways and will for your life. 

Don't Be An Elkanah!

1 Samuel 1:8 "Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?"

A challenge to all husbands today would be to do more reading and studying in order to understand our wives better.  I heard a preacher say this weekend that in order to get a full view of God one must understand the godly characteristics found in woman and not found in man.  God has revealed His true self through both man and woman.  Each has qualities that taken together paint the full picture of all that God is.

Elkanah in this verse has just acted arrogantly in saying "Why are you so upset because you have no kids...surely I am enough to satisfy your every desire in life."  No true.  There beats within the heart of every godly woman the desire to have children and nothing can replace that privilege and experience.  Obviously Elkanah did not understand this.

The main point this morning is that husbands need to be careful of acting insensitive to their wives.  Just because we do not understand something does not mean that it is wrong or unimportant.  It may be of great importance and we may be witnessing a godly attribute in action that we do not possess.   I would hate to find displeasure in my wife as a result of her displaying a godly attribute in my presence.  I would hate to know more about each player drafted by my favorite football team than I do the needs and desires of my wife!

Don't be an Elkanah today!

What All Great Leaders Have In Common

2 Chronicles 32:8 "With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.  And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah."

King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings of the nation of Judah and obviously a great leader.  In this passage he is encouraging the people to not be afraid of the Assyrian king nor his multitude of people. (King Sennacherib had laid siege to Jerusalem) Hezekiah did not simply say not to be worried but gave them a viable reason to relax.  He told them that the Assyrians were simply "arms of flesh" when the captain of their army was the Lord God and He would fight their battles.  They rested in his words. 

Hezekiah knew that his people needed to be reminded of the fact that God is their protector.  One of the main things leadership provides for the follower is focus.  Often it is not the circumstances that spell defeat in our lives it is the lack of focus on our part. Leadership (parents, pastors, coaches, bosses, husbands, moms and dads, etc.) needs to constantly re-focus the sight/mind of the follower upon the basic truths of God's Word. Most believers know the right answers but often the circumstances distract them from what they know to be true.

Leaders should be very careful of criticizing followers when they fail and should be more encouraging in helping them to set their sights on God.  It is the leader's responsibility to provide an atmosphere of safety (rest from worry) in order to help the follower prosper.  This was Moses' great challenge in leading the people out of Egypt and to the promise land...he had to constantly re-focus their attention off of their fears and back on God.   

By the way, God did in fact destroy the Assyrian army once again freeing His people and the great city of Jerusalem from impending destruction.

A Lasting Memorial

Mark 14:8 "She hath done what she could:"

Jesus spoke this answering the disciples after they had witnessed Mary of Bethany anoint Jesus with the expensive ointment of spikenard.  Spikenard in the Bible was an expensive spice used to make perfume.  This spice is obtained from a plant located in the Himalayas of China and the northern regions of India and Nepal.  It was very expensive. 

What I want to focus on today is not necessarily the anger and confusion of the disciples but the phrase that we quoted above about her actions.  I find it a very comforting thought that God never expects us to do above and beyond what we are able.  Now, I understand Philippians 4:13 but this verse is proof positive that we can do all that God has in mind for each of us to do.  This bar of excellence is set at different levels for different people.  The ability that Moses possessed and the expectations God had for him are very different than what He has planned for most us.  

What is great about this verse is that Jesus felt loved and honored by the sacrifice of Mary and her desire to express her devotion to Him!  He even said that her devotion to Him would be spoken of around the world wherever this gospel was preached. It would be a "memorial" for her (vs. 9).  We know that this is absolutely true because we are speaking about it even today.

Don't worry about how you measure up to anyone else...just be sure to do all you can do through His power  (very important) to honor and exalt Him with your life each day!  

We Have A King!

1 Samuel 12:12 "...Nay; but a king shall reign over us; when the Lord your God was your king."

In this passage the people of Israel begged for a king that they might be like the other nations.   God's question was "Why do you need a king when you have me and who could provide a greater life for you than the Lord God?  Even though it hurt the Lord, He did give in to their cries giving then Saul for a king in Israel.  

In this chapter we find Samuel reminding the people how it has always been God that delivered them from their enemies and that even though they now had a human king they must not forget that Jehovah is still their strength and the people and the king must continue to rely upon His wisdom, protection, and provision.  If they refused to follow after the Lord they would suffer.

This plea of God to follow after Him is still being made today.  Just as He was with Israel in the Old Testament fighting their battles and providing for their every need He is with us today.  Malachi 3:6 " For I am the Lord; I change not...".  

Let us trust Him today to be our king.  Let us not beg Him to for a king when He ever liveth to care for us!  Many of our daily prayers could be taken by the Lord as us asking for a king. Do we pray for the king of "financial freedom" that we might not have to depend upon Him to care for our every need?   

May we today seek not a replacement for the One that loves us the most and desires the very best for us.  Let's trust in the living God and turn to Him for our every need.