Numbers 6:24-26
"The LORD bless you and keep you;the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Dear friend,
It's only Tuesday, but already so many of us are tired and feeling the world pushing down on us. The day to day demands in our lives along with the attacks of the enemy attempt to drown out God's Glory and Love for us. Lay your worries and cares on Him and rest (Matthew 11:28). Put the pressures of the day in perspective of the Cross.
Praying you have a wonderful day in the Lord today.
Happy Tuesday!
In Christ,
-Robert
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
3.14.11
Romans 6:16
16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Dear friend,
Lately I've been thinking about what it means to fully submit ourselves to God. And what does it mean to be free in Christ? We know it's in our best interest to trust God with our lives and our hearts long for the freedom that can only be found in Christ, yet somehow we always seem to do things our way. Our small group Bible study uses the term "all-in" like in a poker game, but knowing we've chosen a sure thing by putting our lives in the hands of Jesus. Today as I opened 'My Utmost for His Highest', the topic of yielding was there staring back at me and I had to share these wise words from Oswald Chambers.
"The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what controls and dominates me is that I am the one responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because somewhere in the past I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because at some point in my life I yielded myself to Him.
If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth. There is no power within the human soul itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by yielding. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing. (Remember what lust is- "I must have it now," whether it is the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind.) No release or escape from it will ever come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. ". . . He has anointed Me . . . to proclaim liberty to the captives . . ." (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1).
When you yield to something, you will soon realize the tremendous control it has over you. Even though you say, "Oh, I can give up that habit whenever I like," you will know you can't. You will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you willingly yielded to it. It is easy to sing, "He will break every fetter," while at the same time living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. But yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person's life." -Oswald Chambers
I was reminded of the hope we have in Jesus and the power He has to transform lives! I pray we all seek the freedom found only by fully yielding our lives to King Jesus!
In Christ,
-Robert
http://www.utmost.org Daily Devotional by Oswald Chambers
16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Dear friend,
Lately I've been thinking about what it means to fully submit ourselves to God. And what does it mean to be free in Christ? We know it's in our best interest to trust God with our lives and our hearts long for the freedom that can only be found in Christ, yet somehow we always seem to do things our way. Our small group Bible study uses the term "all-in" like in a poker game, but knowing we've chosen a sure thing by putting our lives in the hands of Jesus. Today as I opened 'My Utmost for His Highest', the topic of yielding was there staring back at me and I had to share these wise words from Oswald Chambers.
"The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what controls and dominates me is that I am the one responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because somewhere in the past I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because at some point in my life I yielded myself to Him.
If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth. There is no power within the human soul itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by yielding. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing. (Remember what lust is- "I must have it now," whether it is the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind.) No release or escape from it will ever come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. ". . . He has anointed Me . . . to proclaim liberty to the captives . . ." (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1).
When you yield to something, you will soon realize the tremendous control it has over you. Even though you say, "Oh, I can give up that habit whenever I like," you will know you can't. You will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you willingly yielded to it. It is easy to sing, "He will break every fetter," while at the same time living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. But yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person's life." -Oswald Chambers
I was reminded of the hope we have in Jesus and the power He has to transform lives! I pray we all seek the freedom found only by fully yielding our lives to King Jesus!
In Christ,
-Robert
http://www.utmost.org Daily Devotional by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 11, 2011
3.11.11
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
The Need for Self-Discipline
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Dear friend,
The President of the United States is coming to your house tomorrow! Are you ready? Do you have your house in order and have you prepared yourself to meet him? Have you reviewed his agenda so that you know your talking points?
Okay, so the president isn't coming to your house, but I guarantee if you knew he was, regardless of your political ideology, you'd prepare yourself for the meeting. We all would consider it an honor to have a visit at our homes by such an important person.
So how's your walk with God these days? Are you giving Him your best time and preparing for your daily visit with the most important being in your life, the Creator of the Universe? Are you intentional about your meetings with God or are you canceling on Him? Is your house in order? How's your relationship with your spouse and children? What does your training regimen look like?
We need to train for our race, our walk with God. We're all guilty when it comes to letting our time with God slide. Each of us is given the same 168 hours each week; rich or poor, we all get the same amount of time. It's what we do with it that counts! Is God getting your best time each day?
Paul tells us to be disciplined through 'strict training' so that we run the race to win! Our eyes are on heaven and our prize is eternal. In verse 27 we're called to bring our flesh into submission; to discipline ourselves spiritually so that our witness isn't called into question as we preach the Gospel. We don't want to be 'disqualified for the prize' because we weren't prepared for the race.
Make an intentional effort today to reflect on the time you're giving God. We all can do better.
In Christ,
-Robert
The Need for Self-Discipline
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Dear friend,
The President of the United States is coming to your house tomorrow! Are you ready? Do you have your house in order and have you prepared yourself to meet him? Have you reviewed his agenda so that you know your talking points?
Okay, so the president isn't coming to your house, but I guarantee if you knew he was, regardless of your political ideology, you'd prepare yourself for the meeting. We all would consider it an honor to have a visit at our homes by such an important person.
So how's your walk with God these days? Are you giving Him your best time and preparing for your daily visit with the most important being in your life, the Creator of the Universe? Are you intentional about your meetings with God or are you canceling on Him? Is your house in order? How's your relationship with your spouse and children? What does your training regimen look like?
We need to train for our race, our walk with God. We're all guilty when it comes to letting our time with God slide. Each of us is given the same 168 hours each week; rich or poor, we all get the same amount of time. It's what we do with it that counts! Is God getting your best time each day?
Paul tells us to be disciplined through 'strict training' so that we run the race to win! Our eyes are on heaven and our prize is eternal. In verse 27 we're called to bring our flesh into submission; to discipline ourselves spiritually so that our witness isn't called into question as we preach the Gospel. We don't want to be 'disqualified for the prize' because we weren't prepared for the race.
Make an intentional effort today to reflect on the time you're giving God. We all can do better.
In Christ,
-Robert
Thursday, March 10, 2011
3.10.11
Revelation 4:11
"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."
Dear friend,
God has recently placed a resource in my life that has both convicted and encouraged me to be more like Jesus. Scripture will continue to be the focus, as it is truly our Daily Bread, and for the next few weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays I will also be quoting parts of the book "Humility The Beauty of Holiness" by Andrew Murray. My hope is that you will be impacted in a similar fashion. I encourage you to read the book if you so desire, even if you have read it previously, which is in the public domain: http://manybooks.net/titles/murrayaother08Humility.html. Please feel free to e-mail us your thoughts or post any feedback on our blog (link below) as to how God is working in your life.
With regard to our verse today, "As truly as God by his power once created, so truly that same power must God every moment maintain. The creature has not only to look back to the orgin and first beginning of existence, and acknowledge that it there owes everything to God; its chief care, its highest virtue, its only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present itself an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness".1
May you live today with full regard to our Lord and God who created all things by his will and maintains that creation in power and majesty. Help us, Father, to lift our eyes up today...to gain perspective to see your beauty and power in all you have created in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us present ourselves to you as empty vessels that you may richly dwell within each of us.
In Christ,
Mike
1 Andrew Murray, Humility the Beauty of Holiness (IndoEuropean Publishing, 2009)
"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."
Dear friend,
God has recently placed a resource in my life that has both convicted and encouraged me to be more like Jesus. Scripture will continue to be the focus, as it is truly our Daily Bread, and for the next few weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays I will also be quoting parts of the book "Humility The Beauty of Holiness" by Andrew Murray. My hope is that you will be impacted in a similar fashion. I encourage you to read the book if you so desire, even if you have read it previously, which is in the public domain: http://manybooks.net/titles/murrayaother08Humility.html. Please feel free to e-mail us your thoughts or post any feedback on our blog (link below) as to how God is working in your life.
With regard to our verse today, "As truly as God by his power once created, so truly that same power must God every moment maintain. The creature has not only to look back to the orgin and first beginning of existence, and acknowledge that it there owes everything to God; its chief care, its highest virtue, its only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present itself an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness".1
May you live today with full regard to our Lord and God who created all things by his will and maintains that creation in power and majesty. Help us, Father, to lift our eyes up today...to gain perspective to see your beauty and power in all you have created in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us present ourselves to you as empty vessels that you may richly dwell within each of us.
In Christ,
Mike
1 Andrew Murray, Humility the Beauty of Holiness (IndoEuropean Publishing, 2009)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
3.9.11
Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 "But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
Dear friend,
I love this passage as it tells us that we are blessed when we trust the Lord. I have had a special appreciation for the word trust vs. the word faith as of lately. I think the word 'faith' gets tossed around so much that it has lost a little of its impact on us as Americans. Who do you trust with your life? Who do you trust with your fears? Does trusting God have any impact on your day to day life?
I wish that I could say trusting in God is easy, but it's not. We are called to trust in a God that we have not seen but is very real! As AW Tozer writes, a real Christian is an "odd number" because:
He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen;
Talks familiarly everyday to someone he cannot see;
Expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another;
Empties himself in order to be full;
Admits he is wrong so he can be declared right;
Goes down in order to get up;
Is strongest when he is weakest;
Richest when he is poorest;
Happiest when he feels the worst;
He dies so he can live;
Forsakes in order to have;
Gives away so he can keep;
Sees the invisible;
Hears the inaudible;
And knows that which passeth knowledge. A.W Tozer
True: it's not easy but trusting God is very rewarding!!!!
Ty
7 "But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
Dear friend,
I love this passage as it tells us that we are blessed when we trust the Lord. I have had a special appreciation for the word trust vs. the word faith as of lately. I think the word 'faith' gets tossed around so much that it has lost a little of its impact on us as Americans. Who do you trust with your life? Who do you trust with your fears? Does trusting God have any impact on your day to day life?
I wish that I could say trusting in God is easy, but it's not. We are called to trust in a God that we have not seen but is very real! As AW Tozer writes, a real Christian is an "odd number" because:
He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen;
Talks familiarly everyday to someone he cannot see;
Expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another;
Empties himself in order to be full;
Admits he is wrong so he can be declared right;
Goes down in order to get up;
Is strongest when he is weakest;
Richest when he is poorest;
Happiest when he feels the worst;
He dies so he can live;
Forsakes in order to have;
Gives away so he can keep;
Sees the invisible;
Hears the inaudible;
And knows that which passeth knowledge. A.W Tozer
True: it's not easy but trusting God is very rewarding!!!!
Ty
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
3.8.11
Matthew 25:21
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
Dear friend,
There are so many things that can be taken from this passage but I'd like to focus today on that word "servant". Doule in the Greek is from the root doulos (doo'-los) which actually means slave (http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/1401.htm). It is interesting how this word is translated as servant in nearly all Bible translations (John MacArthur's latest book "Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity In Christ", Edwin Yamauchi's "Slaves of God" or Harris's "Slave of Christ" all speak much more to this). I don't know about you but when I read this passage and others that contain doulos, it changes their meaning to me.
"Well done, good and faithful slave!"
It then makes other passages make a bit more sense to me such as 1 Corinthians 6:20 that says we have been bought at a price and why Paul should tell us in Romans 12:1 to offer our bodies as living sacrifices in view of God's mercy. Jesus said that anyone who doesn't carry his cross and follow himcan not be his disciple (Luke 14:27). There are horrific aspects of slavery that have occurred in history (and even today in certain countries) and that may be one reason why doulos and the Hebrew word ('ebed) are translated as servant in English. However, to be a slave to Christ is to be a slave to the perfect Master. To be a slave of His gospel is truly freedom for our souls!
We are told to be servants and Christ was the perfect depiction of what that looks like. We also should ask ourselves "how much does Christ really want of me"? Is He asking for more of you today? May we be able to say with Paul that "to live is Christ and to die is gain"! Oh that we wouldn't harden our hearts but humble ourselves before our Master as fully devoted slaves of Christ by his power that is at work within us!
In Christ,
Mike
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
Dear friend,
There are so many things that can be taken from this passage but I'd like to focus today on that word "servant". Doule in the Greek is from the root doulos (doo'-los) which actually means slave (http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/1401.htm). It is interesting how this word is translated as servant in nearly all Bible translations (John MacArthur's latest book "Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity In Christ", Edwin Yamauchi's "Slaves of God" or Harris's "Slave of Christ" all speak much more to this). I don't know about you but when I read this passage and others that contain doulos, it changes their meaning to me.
"Well done, good and faithful slave!"
It then makes other passages make a bit more sense to me such as 1 Corinthians 6:20 that says we have been bought at a price and why Paul should tell us in Romans 12:1 to offer our bodies as living sacrifices in view of God's mercy. Jesus said that anyone who doesn't carry his cross and follow himcan not be his disciple (Luke 14:27). There are horrific aspects of slavery that have occurred in history (and even today in certain countries) and that may be one reason why doulos and the Hebrew word ('ebed) are translated as servant in English. However, to be a slave to Christ is to be a slave to the perfect Master. To be a slave of His gospel is truly freedom for our souls!
We are told to be servants and Christ was the perfect depiction of what that looks like. We also should ask ourselves "how much does Christ really want of me"? Is He asking for more of you today? May we be able to say with Paul that "to live is Christ and to die is gain"! Oh that we wouldn't harden our hearts but humble ourselves before our Master as fully devoted slaves of Christ by his power that is at work within us!
In Christ,
Mike
Monday, March 7, 2011
3.7.11
John 16:33
33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Dear friend,
Did you notice that Jesus said that we "will have trouble" in this world. He didn't say "if", because Jesus knew this world would toss us about.
We know that we were lost before we found Christ and our lives were difficult. Now that we have faith in Christ our lives are still just as difficult and maybe even down right bad at times. Jesus never said following him was going to be easy or that he would make it perfect, in fact even he himself tells us it's going to be tough; we're going to have trouble! Our faith in Christ puts new demands on our lives, there's a cost to follow him.
Jesus doesn't make life easier, he makes if more meaningful. Under God all the trouble we do encounter in this world adds meaning and purpose to our lives rather than take away from them. It's also in the midst of these storms of trouble that we find the unfailing love and hope of Jesus Christ. In Him we find peace and the beauty of our brokenness. He has overcome the world!
In Christ,
-Robert
33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Dear friend,
Did you notice that Jesus said that we "will have trouble" in this world. He didn't say "if", because Jesus knew this world would toss us about.
We know that we were lost before we found Christ and our lives were difficult. Now that we have faith in Christ our lives are still just as difficult and maybe even down right bad at times. Jesus never said following him was going to be easy or that he would make it perfect, in fact even he himself tells us it's going to be tough; we're going to have trouble! Our faith in Christ puts new demands on our lives, there's a cost to follow him.
Jesus doesn't make life easier, he makes if more meaningful. Under God all the trouble we do encounter in this world adds meaning and purpose to our lives rather than take away from them. It's also in the midst of these storms of trouble that we find the unfailing love and hope of Jesus Christ. In Him we find peace and the beauty of our brokenness. He has overcome the world!
In Christ,
-Robert
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