Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Dear friend,
How do we know when someone is being controlled by the Holy Spirit? What evidence do we have? There's certainly the Fruits of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).
And then there's this evidence in Acts chapter 1. We find that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. But this isn't just any power. It's the power to witness. Did you know that the Greek word for witness is martyr? So essentially, to be a witness for the Gospel is to give your life for the Gospel! A willingness to sacrifice yourself to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the very ends of the earth!
It's a holy boldness of sorts. A power that could only come from the Holy Spirit. Where all apprehension and fear is set aside, so that the Gospel is freely proclaimed to all across the lands. Let's face it, our flesh tires quickly, so it could only be through the power of the Holy Spirit that we would be able to persevere! Certainly we can muster up courage now and again, but courage so large as to stand in the face of adversity and under the fire of trials could only come from God.
As believers receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are plugged into a great power source; one that will not fail. The eternal Son that will never burn out! Therefore we can receive that power and with boldness share our witness with others. Ask God today to show you an opportunity to boldly share your faith with someone and to be a witness of the Gospel!
In service to our King,
Robert
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
1.13.11
Isaiah 30:18
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Dear friend,
"Could you wait a minute please?
"Waiting.... What comes to mind when someone asks you to wait?
It's even more difficult as we are a part of a culture that says "you deserve it, so don't wait." Think about all the messages you receive each and every day on the internet, social media, radio, TV, etc. Stunning isn't it. The issue we have with waiting is that we always give up some control of our lives when we choose to wait. If you're like me the very thought of waiting takes too long! However, when we do decide to wait we relinquish our time, will, efforts and control in hopes of receiving what we are waiting for.
How is a person to read a Bible verse (like the one above) and apply it to our lives so we can see God's blessings and bring glory to Him? Why do you think God says that He blesses those who wait on Him?
Our answer is in the context of these verses. You see in Isaiah 30 the nation of Israel was looking everywhere else for protection and help EXCEPT for the one true God. They looked to possessions, Pharaoh, and false prophets to feel better about the situation and get a quick fix. When all He was asking them to do was come to Him. He blesses those who trust that He can deliver them. Do you trust God? Are you trusting and waiting on Him today? Let me encourage you.
My wife and I waited for over six years to start a family. Oh we tried and tried and tried every avenue to take it into our own hands. It was the end of year six and we decided to dig into Isaiah 30 together and pray for 40 days. On day 40 we cried out to God and we both independently heard "WAIT."
To make a long (yet miraculous) story short, this year we celebrated our first Christmas with our beautiful adopted baby girl! Her name is Isabella which means promise of God. She was worth the wait!
God says that He longs to be gracious to you. Take God at His word today and take this promise seriously.
ALL THOSE WHO WAIT ON HIM WILL BE BLESSED!
We want to pray for you and what you are waiting for. Send your prayer requests to prayer@forgivensinner.com and we will lift you up.
-Ty
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
1.12.11
Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
Dear friend,
It's humbling to think that God the creator of the universe cares so much for us, that He is distressed when we are distressed. In Exodus 3:7 God tells Moses that He heard the cries of His people and knows of their suffering. The Hebrew here implies that He has a personal feeling of tenderness and compassion for His people. He is troubled by our anguish and wants to lift us up and carry us away!
In His love and mercy He redeems us, each and every day! God has a tender place in His heart for each of us. He personally cares when we suffer and endure trials.
Lord, I pray that however we may be distressed today or in the days to come, that we take comfort in Your deep love for us, knowing that You will lift us up and carry us in your arms, to a place of refuge and peace that can only be found in You. Amen!
Because of Christ,
-Robert
In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
Dear friend,
It's humbling to think that God the creator of the universe cares so much for us, that He is distressed when we are distressed. In Exodus 3:7 God tells Moses that He heard the cries of His people and knows of their suffering. The Hebrew here implies that He has a personal feeling of tenderness and compassion for His people. He is troubled by our anguish and wants to lift us up and carry us away!
In His love and mercy He redeems us, each and every day! God has a tender place in His heart for each of us. He personally cares when we suffer and endure trials.
Lord, I pray that however we may be distressed today or in the days to come, that we take comfort in Your deep love for us, knowing that You will lift us up and carry us in your arms, to a place of refuge and peace that can only be found in You. Amen!
Because of Christ,
-Robert
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
1.11.11
1 Corinthians 11:1
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Dear friend,
As I was heading to work the other day, I couldn't help but notice something very peculiar outside my front door. The picture seemed to say a thousand words in this case. In other versions of the Bible we see "follow" here in the NIV translated as "imitator". The Greek work used here, mimétés (mim-ay-tace') has been defined by some as "the positive imitation that arises by admiring the pattern set by someone worthy of emulation" 1. It is from the root of this word that we get our English term "mimic". Paul was telling the Corinthians to be like him because He had dedicated His life to be like Jesus.
As you can see in the picture, the snow no longer looks like the rest of the snow on my front walk but has been pressed against the brick wall and peeled away slightly to display the pattern of its emulator. It's far from the normal pattern of snow and sticks out, immediately drawing my attention every time I pass by. Though imperfect, this metaphor may help draw us to 1 Corinthians 11:1 and understand that we are to imitate Christ, following His pattern and displaying to the world that we are not of our own creation. We are created in the image of God and, as His workmanship, we will naturally "stick out" as we strive to not live according to the pattern of this world but according to the pattern of our Savior.
Father, we pray that, by the power of your Holy Spirit at work within us, we may be more like Christ today than we were yesterday!
In Christ,
Mike
Monday, January 10, 2011
1.10.11
Ephesians 3:14
For this reason I kneel before the Father...
Dear friend,
The prayer and benediction that follow our verse today has become one of my favorite prayers and I encourage you to not only read verses 15-20 in this chapter but also to study "this reason" that Paul is referring to.
Instead of focusing on the beauty and depth of Paul's prayer to the Ephesians today, I had a tough time getting past these few words. I don't know about you but it seems like I'm always busy doing something. I'm reminded of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-41. The Bible says that Martha was distracted by the preparation that had to be made and upset with her sister leaving her to do all the work. But Jesus told her that Mary had chosen the better thing...to be listening at the feet of her Lord. I pray that we may be encouraged to kneel before the Father today in prayer and submission...listening as He speaks to us in His Word.
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker" (Pslam 95:6)
In Christ,
Mike
For this reason I kneel before the Father...
Dear friend,
The prayer and benediction that follow our verse today has become one of my favorite prayers and I encourage you to not only read verses 15-20 in this chapter but also to study "this reason" that Paul is referring to.
Instead of focusing on the beauty and depth of Paul's prayer to the Ephesians today, I had a tough time getting past these few words. I don't know about you but it seems like I'm always busy doing something. I'm reminded of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-41. The Bible says that Martha was distracted by the preparation that had to be made and upset with her sister leaving her to do all the work. But Jesus told her that Mary had chosen the better thing...to be listening at the feet of her Lord. I pray that we may be encouraged to kneel before the Father today in prayer and submission...listening as He speaks to us in His Word.
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker" (Pslam 95:6)
In Christ,
Mike
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