Pressing on in the service of our Lord

John 21:25

Pressing on in the service of our Lord

     “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the whole world would not contain the books which were written.” –John

     Jesus calls Himself the first of many brothers! The path He walked before us was one of great courage and many wonderful signs. His life was one continuous demonstration of the love and support our Heavenly Father has for us. What a wonderful example He has left for us! I get so excited when I think about what John is saying here; that the world could not contain all of the books it would take to write down all that Jesus did during His time on earth. The four Gospels give us different highlights of Jesus’ ministry in order to give us a glimpse into all that Jesus did while He was here. I marvel at Jesus feeding the five thousand people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Creating something from nothing was as simple as breathing to Him.

     We who have been saved by Him have a wonderful heritage. It is so important to dedicate our lives to Him so that the rest of our time on earth will be spent in preparation for a glorious eternity with Him! We need to make the most of the days and years that we have in front of us taking the talents God has given us and multiplying them. I get so inspired when I read about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 how as soon as the faithful servants received their talents they immediately started working with them and doubled what they had been given. The joy of being diligent with what God gives to us to work with is something not to take lightly. It is a wonderful thing to feel God’s approval as we step out to witness or help someone in need. He is so pleased with even our faltering steps.

     It is time to ignore the distractions of this world and to ask God for His help in overcoming our lazy human nature and set about making the most of the time we have left! I know that I have shared this before but it still keeps me focused. Jesus gives a parable of a land owner who hires workers for his vineyard and every few hours he goes out and finds new people standing around waiting for work and he promises each of them the same wage for their labor even though some have worked longer than others. Finally at the last hour of the day he finds more people waiting for work and he sends them to his field. Now when the day is over he proceeds to pay each man the same wage and the ones who worked the most began to complain about the ones who worked for only an hour. My friends we are in the final hour before Jesus returns and our work is short! So let us work hard so that the ones who worked the longest will have nothing to complain about as we make up for the hours we missed!

     So let us press on with the time that we have and encourage one another to do more for our dear Savior that it may also be said of us that the world could not contain an account of all that we have done to serve our Savior!

          God bless you all!

Spend Some Time With The Lord

Isaiah 30:15, 18

Spend Some Time With The Lord

For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.

In my times of reading the Bible this past week I have been noticing more than usual that God is continually being praised for being a God of justice. Every verse has been that He will bring down the oppressor and those who rob the poor and who deal unjustly with their fellow men. Just making it clear that the wicked will not go unpunished and those who try to keep His laws will not go unrewarded. Verse after verse says, Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord! Rejoice in the Lord for He will raise up the humble and do good to those who have placed their trust in Him! Each verse speaks so confidently of God that He is faithful and will defend the oppressed and bless the righteous.

“How blessed are all who long for Him.” Do you find yourself thinking about the Lord a lot during the day or are you someone who is just realizing right now that you almost never think about Him at all unless something goes wrong in your life and you want it fixed? There is a big difference between those who long for the Lord and those who just need something fixed. Imagine the garage mechanic, who you only see when your car breaks down and sure you appreciate the work he does in keeping you mobile. He helps you to be able to carry on with your life with no delays, but that is as far as it goes. As long as everything is working you are fine without him in your life. 

God is someone who actually wants to be completely involved in your life. Every part of it. He is not far off, and keeping Himself out of your life. He is patiently waiting for you to come to Him. He is not the mechanic. He is a best friend full of wisdom, advice, and amazing plans. He is a shoulder to cry on, an ear that will listen as you pour out your grief. He can comfort a weary heart and if you are close to Him you can actually feel the warmth of His comforting arms as He puts them around you. He can put the pieces of whatever mess you have made back together. He is the best friend you could ever hope to have and never is at a loss when you bring Him your problems.

If you have not made Him your best friend, He is longing to be part of your life. These verses tell the simple path to having Him as your best friend. 

Now, to seek Him out, you must let go of your pride and every thought of how good a person you think you are or even how bad a person you think you are. So many people won’t come to the Lord because they think they are to bad for Him to want them. He says, “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore waits on high to have compassion on you.”  If you simply say, “Lord I’m sorry for my sins, please help me to keep Your  laws.” He will come quickly to you and establish the wonderful relationship He has for you. He longs to be your best friend. “How blessed are all those who long for Him.”

The Lord has such a simple and yet marvelous plan for people. He wants to love them and raise them up to be His friends. Such a simple concept and yet so few people will take Him up on this blessing He has for them. Those of us who already know the Lord, still have such little understanding of the blessing of having Him as our best friend! We are continually putting Him to the side in pursuit of other things and neglecting the best gift ever for the sake of other things that will pass away. I was marveling the other day at the beautiful trees changing color and how God designed each one to grow from a little seed with the entire blue print of their size, shape and color all packed inside. Truly a marvel! The truth is that we are not smart enough to appreciate and know what is truly going on inside of all the things He created, to marvel at them. If we were we would be beyond amazed at every little detail of this world. Our God is a genius! Did you know that He covers a tree with thousands of little solar panels called leaves that bring forth and produce all the energy for the tree? Then when they are not needed they fall off and regrow in the spring. There is more amazing design in one leaf than we could possibly take in and yet these marvels happen in every area of creation! Now tell me, doesn’t that make you want to get to know our God better? He is offering Himself as our closest companion! 

          Let’s spend some time with Him today!    :)

Waiting upon the Lord

John 20:29

Waiting upon the Lord

     Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

     It is a step of faith that Jesus calls us to. Jesus is speaking to Thomas – one of his disciples who spoke out to the others that he would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead unless he was able to see Him in person and put his fingers into Jesus’ wounds. Jesus says to him, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

     Jesus will often come to our aid in a very visible way and yet there are many times when we are enduring some hardship or period of waiting for something which we have asked Him for and we start to doubt that He will come to our rescue or answer our prayers. We start to doubt even though we have many witnesses to the contrary. We have so many proofs of His faithfulness to keep His promises to us and yet sometimes we are like Thomas and declare that unless we see proof we will not believe that He will do as He said. Jesus words, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed,” is His promise of blessing for us if we hold fast to His promises no matter what things look like. He will come through and take care of whatever it is that we have asked Him for.

     So how does this translate into our everyday walk with God? Well, quite simple really. The Devil is always trying to offer us things that we don’t have to wait for or don’t seem to require any pain to achieve, things that we can have right now if we are willing to overstep a few of God’s laws. He often stirs up our hearts so that there seems to be no other alternative than to do things his way. He likes to fill us with such passion that we refuse to look at the consequences of our actions and do things in the heat of the moment that will cause us a lifetime of misery. God on the other hand, desires for us to have what is truly good for us and part of this is working on our character so that we will not waste what He gives to us, but will make the best use of it. So He allows delays to test us and to work patience and trust in us. God has our eternity in mind when He takes care of us and He is constantly working to conform our character into His image. We are His children forever and so He takes great pains with us to set our lives on a good foundation.

     So how do we hold onto the truth of these things when we are in the midst of a temptation or trial? It seems like it is just too hard to remember when we are fighting with a desire or test and we are contending with our weak nature. The answer is to hold onto God’s love for us and to not be afraid to cry out loud for His help to overcome what we are struggling with. If we cry out, He will refresh our spirit and renew our confidence, and give us a fresh wind to go forth and endure until He has finished all that He is accomplishing in our lives.

     So let us keep eternity in our hearts, and God’s love for us and our love for Him, continually on our minds. A good verse to dwell on is Proverbs 16:17. “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.” 

          God bless!

Why do we resist God’s will for our lives?

John 18:10-11

Why do we resist God’s will for our lives?

     Simon Peter therefore having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slaves name was Malchus. Jesus therefore said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

     Why do we resist God’s plan for our lives? The Father’s plan for Jesus was leading Him to the cross. I need not explain that this was going to be a painful event. Submitting to God’s plan very often will lead us into painful experiences that our bodies do not want to undergo. So many of God’s lessons for us can be quite painful and we would never have chosen to go through them of our own will. God often brings things to pass where our most precious possessions get taken from us and we are unable to stop it from happening, but when the ordeal is over our heart has let go of another idol and we gain a peace in Christ that is deeper then before.
     Jesus’ word – “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given Me” is full of strength and encouragement for us when our hearts are torn with the loss of something we hold dear or when we are at a crossroads in our walk with Him and He is asking us to freely let go of something we have been holding onto. The cup that the Father has for us enables us to let go of the world and be free to love Him completely.
     However, there is another factor in the cup that the Father has for us and it is this. It will save souls! The cup that God has for you is going to make your life fruitful and exciting! This is the joy that is set before us, that in enduring all of these things great fruit will come forth. Our flesh recoils at the pain of the experiences therefore we must look past it to the joy of the eternal fruit that will be produced as we walk in the steps that God desires us to walk and fulfill the plans that He has for us.
     Why is it hard to except God’s will for us and endure these things? It is hard because we are not focused on the love for our neighbours and seeing them brought into the kingdom of God. Brothers and Sisters, we need more love for those around us. We need the love that gladly endures all hardships for their salvation. We get so caught up in our own pains that we stop looking outside of ourselves. We want to set ourselves aside and become a blessing to everyone around us.
     These trials produce two things, they refine us into God’s character and they draw others into the kingdom of God. Therefore, shall we not drink the cup that the Father has for us? Let us pray for perseverance and courage and love that we might endure these things that we might not only please our Heavenly Father and make His heart glad, but that we might bear fruit that will endure for eternity and have many friends who have entered in because of our labors. Jesus is returning soon! Let us be found diligently working in His vineyard when He comes!        God bless you all!

One In Christ

John 17:22-23

One In Christ

     “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.”

     What does it mean to be one with Jesus and our Heavenly Father? Let us consider what it would be like if you went to grab a glass of water and your hand picks up the spoon next to it. Your hand has disregarded your body’s desire for a drink and decided it liked the feel of holding a spoon. This is kind of a funny illustration but we have been called the body of Christ and He is our head. For us to work as one body the head of the body must direct the rest for the good of the entire body. To be one in Christ is to be of the same mind, heart, and action with Him. His desire is our delight to carry out. Everything we do affects the entire body of Christ and when we are stubbornly set in our earthly pursuits, refusing to let go, it can have consequences that can take a long time to recover from.

     We need to look more closely at what this signifies in terms of the unity Jesus has said we are to have with our brothers and sisters. The comfort of the entire body is dramatically altered when all of its members are working together under the leadership of the head. Caring for one another, bearing with one another’s faults, and forgiving one another, is the muscle and tissue that keeps us together. Having hearts set on helping one another everyday should be an active thing rather than waiting for something bad to befall a neighbor before we feel any kind of need to help them. Our love and concern should not be cause and affect but continuous. 

     This is significant because it pulls us out of ourselves and into a life of service and blessing to everyone around us. If we let it, everyday will consume us with pursuits for our own gain, and concern for our neighbors, family, and friends will be forgotten. It is so easy to get caught up in these things that we don’t even notice. To be one with Jesus is to be filled with His love for everyone around us and to find ways to help them. To be one with Him is to seek His plan for our lives so that we can be doing the job that will most benefit the body of Christ. To be one with Him is to be filled with the joy of serving Him and seeing Him work through our lives.

     So I want to encourage all of you today to earnestly seek His plan for your life. It can be hard to lay down your earthly ambitions in order to do this but only someone who is truly willing to do whatever God’s plan is will receive His plan for their lives and carry it out. You cannot want your own plan and His because invariably your plan will hinder the effectiveness of His plan and the two will get in the way of each other. We cannot be divided when we serve God, but must serve Him with our whole heart. When we have committed all our heart and all our life to Him, His joy and excitement will come pouring into us to the point where we cannot even contain it.
    God desires to fill your life with excitement and the most amazing adventure, but it requires counting the cost of what you are going to let go of. His plan for your life will fill the rest of your life. It is all or nothing and will not be joyful and exciting unless you have committed everything to Him.
     So let us renew our commitment to Him and serve one another joyfully. Encouraging one another and spurring one another on to greater works in Christ!           God bless you all!

The Testimony Of A Christian

John 17: 3

The Testimony Of A Christian

1. John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”

2. John 17:18 “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

3. John 17:21 “That they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may also be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.”

4. & 5. John 17:22-23 “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.”

6. John 17:25-26 “Oh righteous Father, although the world has not known Thee, yet I have known Thee; and these have known that Thou didst send Me; and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”

     We are to be living proof that God is the only true God, and that He sent Jesus Christ to save us and to give us eternal life. Jesus says that eternal life is knowing God, and believing in Him, and His Son Jesus, whom the Father sent to us. If we are to be witnesses and the living proof that Jesus is Lord of all, then how are we to do this? There is nothing supernatural about us; we do not stand out or show God’s glory in ourselves. In point (3.) Jesus requests of God that we be made one with Him, and with Jesus, that we might truly know the Love that the Father has for us and be able to share it with the world.

     It is time for us to ask for help. It is time to pray for Jesus to take His rightful place in the center of our lives, as He did when we were first saved. Too many things are trying to steal our hearts away from Him, and we lose our connection to His life-giving presence. It is time to pray for a revival in our hearts, that we might be centered on Jesus. When He is the center of our desire, we will bear an overflowing testimony of His sovereignty in our lives. 

     In points (4 & 5) Jesus tells His Father that He has granted to us the glory that God has granted to Him that we might be one in Himself. What is that glory which He has passed on to us? The glory is unity with God. Jesus, having removed the barrier of sin from between us and God, has given us complete access to the thrown of God and to the wonderful works of God through prayer. We are open vessels able to convey the glorious truths of God. Again, what is that glorious truth? It is the reality that He is the only true God and that He has sent His beloved Son Jesus to us to be our Savior.

     Point (6) The world, having lost its ability through sin to be able to see God and to know Him, was in need of a witness. Jesus was sent to be the mouth of God and to bring the light of God’s word to mankind. I think this is an amazing picture. A world in darkness which could no longer see the glory of God is given the light of Jesus Christ and yet if God did not open the eyes of the people still no one would be able to see His glory. What kind of darkness is it that we are dealing with here on earth? If Jesus was invisible even to those who were teaching the laws of God, this is a deep, spiritual darkness. This is why Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the brilliant light of Christ. We too, can expect an impossible task of bringing the Gospel of Christ to people if we do not have the blessing of God’s Holy Spirit with us to open their eyes. We must pray earnestly for the awakening touch of the Holy Spirit on those with whom we share the Gospel. The world cannot see the truth even if Jesus Himself were here in person to present it. Jesus relied on God to send the Holy Spirit to awaken the hearts and minds of the people and to be a witness to the truth of what He taught.

     Therefore – eternal life is – That we may know God, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent.

Jesus Has Overcome The World

John 16: 31-33

Jesus Has Overcome The World

     Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

     The question for today is, “Have you been scattered”? Have you been holding on to Jesus as your Savior and support and yet your confidence has been shaken because of the great trials that have come upon you, and you have asked – Where are you Jesus in my hour of need? Have the trials been so great that you have fled for your life in despair that not even God could save you from them anymore? Jesus’ words are as much for us today as they were for His disciples. Jesus was about to be publicly executed which He knew would greatly weaken their belief and confidence that He was indeed the promised Messiah for whom they had forsaken their earthly comforts and homes to follow. The disciples had given up everything in this world to follow Him and suddenly their trust and faith was going to be tested. Jesus promises them that He will be their peace in the midst of the trial and that though there was going to be tribulation, He had overcome it.

     Why does Jesus’ “overcoming of the world” give us courage? What did this mean for them and what does it mean for us? Jesus’ words were His confirmation that He had not bowed to any of the temptations and that He was about to give the final blow to the hold that sin had upon their lives. His last great battle was about to be won in which the devil’s power over us would be crushed once and for all, opening the door to the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit upon all who believed in Him and forever changing the world. Jesus was clearing the road that led to our Heavenly Father that we might be reunited with Him and become a new creation. Jesus was not saying that they would have no more tribulation on earth, but that He had purchased the peace of pardon so that our souls would no longer be at war with God, but full of His Life and Power. Jesus is telling them that He was going to be victorious in spite of their inability to stand up in the midst of the trial.

     So what does this mean for us? Jesus’ words, “Take courage, for I have overcome the world” are for us in the same way, that though the trial may have caused us to lose our confidence in Him, yet He will be faithful to rescue us anyway. He is with us even when we have forsaken Him because of our doubts and fears and He will complete the good work He has started in us because He loves us and has already overcome the world on our behalf.

     So take courage my brothers and sisters – in this world you will have tribulation that will cause you to stumble in your faith, but God will surely rescue you for He loves you and has overcome the world for you that you might be with Him forever! 

     God bless you all!