Blessed

On May 12, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 115: 15

May you be blessed of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

I have noticed that there is a new expression that has gained much popularity. It seems I hear it mostly on voicemail messages not actually spoken person to person. That expression? “Have a blessed day.”

It is a nice sentiment but at the same time can be pretty empty. I expect that the people who leave this on their voicemail message are very sincere about wishing you to be blessed; I hope they are anyway. But it is good to remind ourselves from where blessings come.

God is the source of all blessing, but we are the hands of the Lord here in the earth. So, although all good things come from above, it is through us that the Lord reaches out to others. And while it is nice to wish others a blessed day, let us not forget that we can effectuate that ourselves. You can be the one that ensures that they have a blessed day by blessing them.

Hasn’t Jesus taught us that it is not enough for us to just say to a hungry person, “Be fed.” He taught us to feed them. When we wish for someone to be fed or to be otherwise blessed aren’t we really saying that I hope someone will bless you today? Aren’t we really expecting the person’s blessed day to come through other people? Well, why should we wait for someone else to have the idea to bless them? It is already in our mind and on our tongue.

Additionally, hungry and homeless people aren’t the only persons needing blessing today. Everyone you see could use a blessing. Also, do some kind thing for someone wherein you have no benefit in the blessing. In other words, bless someone in a way that you are not also reaping a benefit. It is alright to have win/win situations, but we need to learn to do what is in the best interest of others even if it is not in our interest. How much of a blessing is it really if your blessing of someone else is reaping a benefit for you? You’ve got to ask yourself how true your motive is if that is a constant occurrence.

And lastly, become a giver. Let being a giver become part of your personality. Look for opportunities to bless others. Try to figure out a way every day to do something kind for someone. What if we all got in the habit of blessing one person a day? Wouldn’t that be something? We might start some kind of revolution. I think it could really have an impact on our communities. So, shall we start today? Find someone to bless. Do something kind; give to others. I guarantee that you will end up being the most blessed person of all.

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Victory in Jesus

On May 11, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   2 Comments

1 Corinthians 15: 57          Young’s Literal

And to God — thanks, to Him who is giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This verse caught my eye today because of its tense. It does not say, as one might expect, that God gave us the victory in Christ. He is presently and perpetually giving us victory in every circumstance. Why is this important?

Some people think that because Jesus defeated Satan, we get to float through life as upon a cloud. This is not the case. The Amplified Version reads, “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We become conquerors through Jesus. His victory can become our own. Because Jesus is victorious, we too can be.

This is the intertwined life. One can be a Christian and yet stand apart from the life in Christ. Then his victory is far removed from us. However, when we live in him and him in us as he discussed in the gospel of John, then we learn how to put on his victory in each circumstance of our lives. We are allowed to partake of his victory and claim it as if it were ours. And, it is ours, through a life intertwined with him.

So, what do I mean by this? First, you must know Christ as Lord and know of his victory. Then overcoming is through his blood and our testimony. In other words, we have to say something. That is how we put on his victory. We claim it with our words. For example, “By his stripes I am healed!” “I am blessed coming in and going out”. Whatever the Word says, when you proclaim that you are speaking Jesus’ victory into your life. Keep faith words in your mouth and meditate on God’s promises. You can put on Jesus’ victory because it was for you that he even came to earth. There would have been no contest and no victory but for God’s love for humanity. But, look around you. Are all Christians living in the victory of Christ? No. Some do and some don’t. It is not automatic. A faith stand speaking a testimony of belief clothes you with Jesus’ victory. Meditate on the promise of God. Speak it from a position of faith and don’t give in to doubt and worry. You will be a conqueror in Jesus.

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Strong Leader

On May 10, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 148: 13 – 14      GW

Let them praise the name of the Lord because his name is high above all others. His glory is above heaven and earth. He has given his people a strong leader, someone praiseworthy for his faithful ones, for the people of Israel, the people who are close to him. Hallelujah!

As we read this passage, we easily think of the strong leader God has given his people as Jesus. When this was written, however, Jesus had not yet come to earth. The people of the Old Testament were no less convinced that God had provided for them in the person of the coming Messiah.

What makes Jesus praiseworthy? This psalmist was full of praise for the Father and called upon all creation to praise the Lord, even the stars, and sea creatures. He called for the sun and the moon and crawling creatures to praise the Lord. What was happening inside this poet that would cause him to imagine whales and centipede would stop and praise the Lord?

While we think of Jesus as praiseworthy, how often do we give voice to those praises? Are you one of those who finds it easy to shout praises to the King? I hope you are but for the rest of us, perhaps a little practice would help. For myself, I like to get alone and sing praise songs. There are praise albums that you can purchase which not only help one to praise but which lift the spirit. They are my secret weapon. Maybe you have a tool which aids you in praising the Lord.

I want you to praise Father and Son because of what it does for you. Praise is an aid to dealing with problems, it helps alleviate stress and it feeds the soul and spirit. When we praise God, we release the joy of the kingdom and the power in praise goes to work resolving issues we didn’t know how to address. Let this be your power tool. Sing, shout and lift up praises to your strong leader. See how it changes your world.

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Defeating the Enemy

On May 7, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 16: 15

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

There is much political and economic attention on China. China is not our adversary. Satan is (1 Peter 5: 8). Therefore, I would like to suggest a different way of thinking about China. Let’s bring spiritual attention to China rather than meditating on the political and economic issues. Below is part of an article about the challenge facing Chinese Christians.

Elder Li, whose family is closely monitored by police, asks Christians in the United States to pray for his family and for Early Rain Church. “We pray that we depend on God when we lack, because apart from Him we have no good thing,” he said. “We pray God makes us put our trust in Him at this difficult time. We pray the Holy Spirit fills us to respond to our situation with gentleness and respect.”

I believe that is a prayer we can all get behind. It speaks to our own lives too and I pray that we always respond with gentleness and respect.

The key for us, as Christians, is to intellectually separate the Chinese people from Chinese Communism. We are tied to Christians of all nationalities. We have the same interests and the same father. It is important for us to remember that while the world spins in fractured antagonism, our Father is a God of reconciliation and love. We can be the voice of calm and reason because we speak from a heart of love and love must, and always will, carry the day.

So, my appeal to Christians is that we claim China for the Lord. Communism and political systems are not God, nor do they make good masters. They are institutions of men, but the Lord has established His government where Jesus is Lord. Faith and love are how we overcome adversity, that and the word of our testimony and the blood of Christ. That precious blood was shed for Chinese and North Koreans and Russians. It is up to us to win these countries, and their citizens, for Christ.

There is a war. We are warriors in this fight for the souls of the Chinese people and indeed the souls of all people. The good news is that Jesus has already won. Now it is up to us to pray in that victory for China. Through prayer Christians around the world can intercede in the affairs of man. To succeed, we must proceed without judgment. This must be an act of love. We can change the course of human history in China by getting into agreement with Jesus. You have the power of salvation in your hands. Do not waste it. Pray for China. Intercede with a heart of passion and compassion. Let us do the work to which we are called, preach the good news to all creation; spread the love of Christ to all people. We can do this. May it be done according to the grace which is within us through Christ, our Lord.

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Do Good

On May 6, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Timothy 6: 18

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.

I have noticed that sometimes when you speak with people about their faith, they respond that they try to be a “good” person and treat others fairly. It is commendable that people are trying to be good but, that is not Christianity. Christianity is not an ethic.

Christianity is more than an ethic. Just trying to be a good person does not make you a Christian. One might use Christian ethics as a personal morality code, but that does not make us Christians. Christianity is a relationship with the Christ and through him, with the Father and the Spirit. At the heart of Christianity is ethical and kind behavior but the core of Christianity is devotion and submission to Jesus who is the Christ. We are devotees of Christ, the Son of Yahweh God. Those who devote their lives to being followers of the Christ should demonstrate ethical behavior. Their lives should demonstrate kindness and generosity. However, kindness and generosity do not make one a Christian anymore than, like Joyce Meyer says, sitting in a garage makes you a car.

There are many ethical codes in the world. They are designed to help us behave as honorable people. They help us to regulate our interactions with other people as we attempt to answer the question, “What is right?” Non-Christians and even people who serve no God attempt to live their lives by a code of morals. Ethics are part of human development and civilization. They are an important part of civilized society. They are not, however, the answer to a life of divine connection.

Christ is the epicenter of Christianity. Our aim should be to follow him and serve him. Thank the Lord that he forgives us when we fail to behave in a way which is becoming to him, but it is not the adherence to a Christian Ethos that makes us Christians. Christianity is us dying to self and living to Christ. Christianity is a life lived with Christ. When we wrap ourselves around Jesus, good behavior ensues. His light shining through us will always rise to the highest level of moral conduct. Ethical conduct is a by-product of walking with Christ. Therefore, we shouldn’t “try” to live a good life. We should live intertwined with the Christ and let our lives be a testament to his goodness rather than our own.

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Be Still my Heart

On May 5, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 46: 10       NIV

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

It is always fascinating to me when two ideas or projects I am working on come together. It seems to be a confirmation that I am on the right track. That happened to me this week.

I have been ministering on this verse from Psalm 46. I am also reading a book on Moses. Interestingly, the two have come together. The author wrote these words, “That voice still speaks to those whose hearts are hushed to hear . . . and seeking hearts that are still enough from their own plans and activities to listen” (Meyer, Moses: Servant of God, Whitaker House, 1909, 2014, p. 42 – 43). One of the most central aspects to hearing God speak is stillness.

We live in a busy world, finding ourselves going this way and that. We get a lot done and our lives are filled with richness and diversity. Unfortunately, that busyness can also conspire to inhibit our time with the Lord. My own experience was that even when I took a few minutes to sit down and commune with God, I was so keyed up that I could not hear Him. Both physically and mentally I was like a metronome, in constant motion. It, literally, took an act of God to teach me how to slow down so that I could come to know Him as God in my life. And that is the point of this, letting God show Himself as God.

I believe in praying at all times. For example, I like to pray while I am driving, pumping gas and riding my bike. However, communion with God also requires those quiet times; times completely devoted to visiting with Him. That, I believe, is where it becomes hard for many of us. It is hard to set aside quiet time to be with the Lord. There are so many things vying for your time and hard to find time alone. And then even when you do find the time, perhaps the pressures of your schedule and task list invade your stillness making it difficult, if not impossible, to hear the voice of God.

If being still is a challenge for you, if you have a hard time hearing God, contact me and let’s get that worked out in your life so that you routinely hear the voice of your Father.

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Wisdom for the Wise

On May 4, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 3: 19 – 20

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.”

I was struck today with just how simple we are in comparison to God. I have often wondered why He didn’t make us smarter so one day I asked Him. Do you know what His answer was? “You don’t need more intelligence because you were supposed to follow me with your spirit rather than your mind.” Wow! That set me straight. I thought today that perhaps we intellectualize so much because we are aware of how unenlightened we really are. We try to be smart because we are subconsciously aware that we really are not.

And as I was praying for people today I prayed that we would all just be led by God. Well, there is where infinite wisdom resides. We have seen that He stores wisdom for us and that He gives it to us willingly and freely. Let us not be wise in our own eyes because that only shouts how foolish we really are. Let us humble ourselves before the omniscient Father of all, allowing His wisdom and knowledge to guide our steps. Rest today in complete confidence in your ignorance because you have the all-knowing one as your ever present leader. Paul said that when He was weak, He was strong. In the same way that God substitutes His strength for your weakness, He provides His wisdom and knowledge when you have none of your own. Lean on Him and He will provide you all you need.

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