1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray without ceasing,
Dear friend,
Such a simple phrase; direct and to the point. Pray without ceasing. God commands us to pray. He never says if you should feel the desire or when you have time. He simply tells us to pray and to pray without ceasing!
Consider this thought: If Jesus in his beautiful perfection relied on the strength of the Father and prayed, how much more then should we, in our imperfection, be praying!
Jesus prayed:
In reverent submission (Matthew 26:39)
In praise to God the Father (Luke 10:21)
In places of quiet and solitude (Mark 1:35)
For others (John 17:11)
In thanksgiving (Mark 14:22)
In times of anguish (Luke 22:44 & Matthew 27:46)
Jesus prayed. Jesus prayed in all circumstances. Jesus prayed without ceasing. Jesus taught us how to pray (Matthew 6:5-14).
In Christ,
-Robert
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
2.17.11
Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Dear friend,
When we feel weary and burdened, there is rest for our souls in Jesus! I have to catch myself when reading these verses as they are so foreign to my initial perception. Many times we think of rest as sleeping, getting away from work or doing nothing. It may strike us as odd then as Christ says to come to Him and take His yoke upon us. The visual depiction of a yoke doesn't naturally equate to restfulness in my mind. Yet Jesus goes on asking us to learn from Him and describing the nature of His heart. How can our souls find rest in taking this yoke upon us? Friend, we become burdened and weary when we try to live life ourselves. Without Jesus, our hearts are hard, our yoke is heavy and our burden is overwhelming. Even as Christians we can become weary and restless at times but let us once again come underneath the yoke of Jesus which is easy and light. Let us learn from the heart of our gentle and humble Master as we work out our salvation with restful souls and thankful hearts.
In Christ,
Mike
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Dear friend,
When we feel weary and burdened, there is rest for our souls in Jesus! I have to catch myself when reading these verses as they are so foreign to my initial perception. Many times we think of rest as sleeping, getting away from work or doing nothing. It may strike us as odd then as Christ says to come to Him and take His yoke upon us. The visual depiction of a yoke doesn't naturally equate to restfulness in my mind. Yet Jesus goes on asking us to learn from Him and describing the nature of His heart. How can our souls find rest in taking this yoke upon us? Friend, we become burdened and weary when we try to live life ourselves. Without Jesus, our hearts are hard, our yoke is heavy and our burden is overwhelming. Even as Christians we can become weary and restless at times but let us once again come underneath the yoke of Jesus which is easy and light. Let us learn from the heart of our gentle and humble Master as we work out our salvation with restful souls and thankful hearts.
In Christ,
Mike
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
2.16.11
2 Corinthians 7:10
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."
Dear friend,
It is written in Matthew 4:17, that Jesus began preaching by saying "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near." You and I may bristle when we hear the word "repent." We may associate it with fire and brimstone preaching or someone screaming it from a bull horn. Either way, we feel that repentance "aturning away from sin" will take from us rather than giving us life. As we see in the verse above however, it is repentance that leads to salvation WITHOUT regrets!! You see, repentance is the Greek word "Metanoia," which means changing your mind and thus the direction of your actions.
If you are in a cycle of sin, regret, sin, regret, sin....
It's time for a godly repentance that leads to life!
I have learned that all sin has in it a wrong thinking. So, I hope this lands for us today; again all sin has in it a wrong thinking. How many of the things that you thought "will make me happy," truly do make you happy? Sin may produce pleasure, but never happiness and often regret.
Let me give you another great verse from Isaiah 30:15: "In Repentance and Rest is your salvation." You may have a notion that you have always been this way or "this is just how I am." That's why Jesus says that we must be born again. We are born a certain way with tendencies and sinful desires. For even Paul said, "I do the things I don't want to do and the things I want to do I don't do" (Romans 7:15). It's in the next verses (vs 24-25) that we find our HOPE of hopes as Paul writes, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
True, lasting, powerful, loving, eternal, life changing repentance starts with coming to God with a heart that cries:
"Lord, what a wretched person I am. I don't have it within me to change. I don't have the strength to beat back my sinful desires and to break free of the chains that entangle me. BUT YOU DO JESUS!! YOU DO MY LORD!! I REPENT, I LOVE YOU and I REPENT. Holy Spirit please change and transform my mind, change my direction in this life for eternity. Not my will but YOURS! Free me from my chains and help me to walk in Your strength each day from this day on so I can say with Paul THANKS BE TO GOD THROUGH JESUS MY LORD!"
You will not be losing anything, but in fact will be gaining everything!
In Christ,
Ty D
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."
Dear friend,
It is written in Matthew 4:17, that Jesus began preaching by saying "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near." You and I may bristle when we hear the word "repent." We may associate it with fire and brimstone preaching or someone screaming it from a bull horn. Either way, we feel that repentance "aturning away from sin" will take from us rather than giving us life. As we see in the verse above however, it is repentance that leads to salvation WITHOUT regrets!! You see, repentance is the Greek word "Metanoia," which means changing your mind and thus the direction of your actions.
If you are in a cycle of sin, regret, sin, regret, sin....
It's time for a godly repentance that leads to life!
I have learned that all sin has in it a wrong thinking. So, I hope this lands for us today; again all sin has in it a wrong thinking. How many of the things that you thought "will make me happy," truly do make you happy? Sin may produce pleasure, but never happiness and often regret.
Let me give you another great verse from Isaiah 30:15: "In Repentance and Rest is your salvation." You may have a notion that you have always been this way or "this is just how I am." That's why Jesus says that we must be born again. We are born a certain way with tendencies and sinful desires. For even Paul said, "I do the things I don't want to do and the things I want to do I don't do" (Romans 7:15). It's in the next verses (vs 24-25) that we find our HOPE of hopes as Paul writes, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
True, lasting, powerful, loving, eternal, life changing repentance starts with coming to God with a heart that cries:
"Lord, what a wretched person I am. I don't have it within me to change. I don't have the strength to beat back my sinful desires and to break free of the chains that entangle me. BUT YOU DO JESUS!! YOU DO MY LORD!! I REPENT, I LOVE YOU and I REPENT. Holy Spirit please change and transform my mind, change my direction in this life for eternity. Not my will but YOURS! Free me from my chains and help me to walk in Your strength each day from this day on so I can say with Paul THANKS BE TO GOD THROUGH JESUS MY LORD!"
You will not be losing anything, but in fact will be gaining everything!
In Christ,
Ty D
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
2.15.11
Psalm 63:1
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
Dear friend,
It is said by many theologians that David wrote this psalm in the wilderness of Judah, fleeing for his life from his own son. I'm sure he was famished and I can only imagine the emotions that were going through his mind. However, it is interesting that this particular psalm doesn't contain a single petition but instead an undertone of longing for God. What would I long for in that moment? I've read that if "you're in reasonable shape and in ideal conditions -- that is, not in the heat or cold and not exerting, a human can probably live for about 3 to 5 days without any water."1 Friend, it would be a terrible thing indeed to die from dehydration but everyone on this earth can not live without the grace and mercy of God for an instant. The moment that the Lord appoints us to pass from this world those who know Christ as their salvation will be absent from the body and present with the Lord. When God's plan comes to fruition, nothing will stay his hand as the earth and everything in it is laid bare (2 Peter 3:10).
What are our priorities in this life? Is it family, friends, food or drink? Is it health, wealth or worldly pleasures? What do we earnestly seek for...what do we thirst and long for?
Oh Father, by your mercy, sprinkle our hearts until they are pliable and submissive in your loving hands. Mold us to be more like Jesus and ignite a passion for You that aligns our priorities with your will for us in Christ Jesus.
In Christ,
Mike
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
Dear friend,
It is said by many theologians that David wrote this psalm in the wilderness of Judah, fleeing for his life from his own son. I'm sure he was famished and I can only imagine the emotions that were going through his mind. However, it is interesting that this particular psalm doesn't contain a single petition but instead an undertone of longing for God. What would I long for in that moment? I've read that if "you're in reasonable shape and in ideal conditions -- that is, not in the heat or cold and not exerting, a human can probably live for about 3 to 5 days without any water."1 Friend, it would be a terrible thing indeed to die from dehydration but everyone on this earth can not live without the grace and mercy of God for an instant. The moment that the Lord appoints us to pass from this world those who know Christ as their salvation will be absent from the body and present with the Lord. When God's plan comes to fruition, nothing will stay his hand as the earth and everything in it is laid bare (2 Peter 3:10).
What are our priorities in this life? Is it family, friends, food or drink? Is it health, wealth or worldly pleasures? What do we earnestly seek for...what do we thirst and long for?
Oh Father, by your mercy, sprinkle our hearts until they are pliable and submissive in your loving hands. Mold us to be more like Jesus and ignite a passion for You that aligns our priorities with your will for us in Christ Jesus.
In Christ,
Mike
Monday, February 14, 2011
2.14.11
1 John 4:7-11
God's Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Dear friend,
Today we'll spend millions if not billions of dollars on meaningless cards, chocolates, flowers and trinkets to express our so-called love for one another. We manufacture feel good moments through material items so that others feel loved and love us in return. Happy Valentine's Day!
But do we really know what true love is? How do we define it? Love is often based on some condition, therefore making it conditional. We love others as a condition of familial or personal ties. We love people we are attracted to and that make us feel good. Our love is mercurial, meaning it changes with great unpredictability! We love based on emotions and feelings that can change from one moment to the next. How can we even begin to understand unconditional love?
The parent and child relationship seems to come the closest to experiencing unconditional love apart from God. Parents choose to love their children through life's ups and downs. Regardless of their successes and failures, the number of times they disappoint or make us proud; despite all the times they fall and the sins they have, no matter how unlovable they may seem at times, parents choose to keep on loving them. A parent's love perseveres even when they don't "feel" like it.
The verses above tell us that God is love. A love that is truly unconditional for every single one of us! It's not based on emotions or feelings and certainly as depraved humans we can't make him feel good or make ourselves more lovable to him. He just simply loves us because he is love. We were created to be in a love relationship with him. And he loved us so much "that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). There certainly aren't any conditions in those last two verses!. Think about it! He sent his Son to die, while we were still sinners. If that doesn't define unconditional love, I don't know what does. He didn't say, 'hey you, once you get your act together and quit sinning then I'll love you'. HE SIMPLY JUST CHOOSES TO LOVE US!
God is love. He defines love. He tells us through his word that love is sacrificial. It's unconditional. If we really desire to know true love, understand true love and to truly love others, then we must know God! Because love apart from God isn't love; it's just another word void of meaning.
Celebrate True Love today and everyday! Love God, love others. God has already shown us his vast, unconditional love through his Son Jesus Christ. Let's show him our love back! Write a Valentine's Day card to Him!
In Christ,
-Robert
God's Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Dear friend,
Today we'll spend millions if not billions of dollars on meaningless cards, chocolates, flowers and trinkets to express our so-called love for one another. We manufacture feel good moments through material items so that others feel loved and love us in return. Happy Valentine's Day!
But do we really know what true love is? How do we define it? Love is often based on some condition, therefore making it conditional. We love others as a condition of familial or personal ties. We love people we are attracted to and that make us feel good. Our love is mercurial, meaning it changes with great unpredictability! We love based on emotions and feelings that can change from one moment to the next. How can we even begin to understand unconditional love?
The parent and child relationship seems to come the closest to experiencing unconditional love apart from God. Parents choose to love their children through life's ups and downs. Regardless of their successes and failures, the number of times they disappoint or make us proud; despite all the times they fall and the sins they have, no matter how unlovable they may seem at times, parents choose to keep on loving them. A parent's love perseveres even when they don't "feel" like it.
The verses above tell us that God is love. A love that is truly unconditional for every single one of us! It's not based on emotions or feelings and certainly as depraved humans we can't make him feel good or make ourselves more lovable to him. He just simply loves us because he is love. We were created to be in a love relationship with him. And he loved us so much "that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). There certainly aren't any conditions in those last two verses!. Think about it! He sent his Son to die, while we were still sinners. If that doesn't define unconditional love, I don't know what does. He didn't say, 'hey you, once you get your act together and quit sinning then I'll love you'. HE SIMPLY JUST CHOOSES TO LOVE US!
God is love. He defines love. He tells us through his word that love is sacrificial. It's unconditional. If we really desire to know true love, understand true love and to truly love others, then we must know God! Because love apart from God isn't love; it's just another word void of meaning.
Celebrate True Love today and everyday! Love God, love others. God has already shown us his vast, unconditional love through his Son Jesus Christ. Let's show him our love back! Write a Valentine's Day card to Him!
In Christ,
-Robert
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