REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR PRAISE IN SHAPE

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
   Sing the glory of his name; 
   make his praise glorious. 
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power 
   that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
   they sing praise to you,
   they sing the praises of your name.”
Psalms 66:1-4 (NIV)

My son and I went camping with his Boy Scout troop this past week end. It was a nice overnighter, my son's first backpacking adventure and my first and too long. I knew I was out of shape, but man alive, that just proved it. I am very sore today. 

I tried to stop and enjoy the view, but because I was out of shape I really didn't get to soak it in. I think that is a little like praise and thankfulness. If we don't make it a practice to take the time to be thankful and praise God for the things he provides like our daily bread, jobs, families and friends, we will miss out on much of what warrants our thankfulness and praise. 

So I encourage you to, spiritually speaking, keep your thankfulness and praise muscles in shape. 

Father, open our eyes to see all that you do for us each and every day. Praise be to you in us today!

DO YOU HAVE WHAT YOU NEED?

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

II Peter 1:3 

The first year I was the assistant principal for summer school I was trying to follow the principal's lead and I was not really taking charge. Finally, the principal told me they wanted me to run the program. Once I knew the principal wanted me to pretty much take charge of everything, I could go at it with full confidence. 

Sometimes we are hesitant in our faith because we either don't know or forget what God has given us which is everything we need. 

The key is knowing Christ. Paul said, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:10-11). Knowing Christ isn't just about church. Knowing Christ is where your daily life and faith fuse together. 

Take just a moment and remember that knowing Christ is trusting him right where you are at. 

Father, help us to know you in what we are going through right now. Praise be to you in us today!

HAVE YOU LOOKED EVERYWHERE?

From the LORD comes deliverance. 
   May your blessing be on your people. Selah
Psalm 3:8

For some reason it is easy to forget that God is in control and that he is Sovereign over all things. Maybe you are at one of those places in your life where you have exhausted every opportunity, contact and idea you could think of to help get you out of the circumstances you are in. 

I am not going to be pious and tell you to pray because I assume you already have prayed and are praying. The other day my youngest son was in the kitchen looking for some hot sauce. He was actually standing right in front of it and it appeared that he was starring directly at it. But, he wasn't seeing it. Finally, he saw it and grabbed it. Sometimes maybe that is what waiting on God is like. We are looking in the right spot, we just don't see it yet.

I don't know why God makes us wait for deliverance sometimes. He does. He sees the end from the beginning and his desire is to shape us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. So, keep looking. 

Father, help us to know you as we wait on you and you shape us into the image of your Son, Jesus Christ. Praise be to you in us today!

IT WILL FEEL BETTER LATER

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:10-11 (NIV)

I have been pretty busy lately. One thing that I have neglected is my personal fitness. I finally got in a little exercise this past week. I feel a bit better. You see, I have seen the result of exercising. I know that if I keep a consistent routine I will be healthier and feel better all around. 

I know this is a bit of a stretch trying to connect the idea of exercising and I Peter 5:10-11, but, let's go with it. Yesterday I was getting in a little cardio. My left calf muscle kept cramping up a little. When I got home and stretched, drank some water and relaxed, I felt a lot better. The connection is that in our lives we may suffer for a while, but, God himself will restore us and make us strong. In the same way that exercise can make us stronger, trials make us stronger in Christ. 

Whatever the trial you are going through know that God's plan is to bring you through it and then restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 

Father, bring us through our trails, restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast. Praise be to you in us today!

WHAT MATTERS IS THE TRUTH

 O Lord, how many are my foes!
   How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
   “God will not deliver him.”
But you, Lord, are a shield around me, O LORD;
   you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the LORD,and he I cry aloud,
   and he answers me from his holy hill.
Psalms 3:1-4 (NIV)

It doesn't matter what people say, what matters it the truth. The truth is that God is our shield, he will deliver us, and he will answer us from his holy hill!

GOT SELF-CONTROL?

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

I Peter 5:8

The first thing I want to point out is that if the God, in his Word, tells you to do something, then you can do it. So, if the Bible says to be self-controlled (sober-minded in the ESV) then you can have control of yourself. That doesn't mean you won't be tempted. It just means you can choose to keep your mind clear. The idea of being sober in contrast to drunk is pretty clear. When something else is influencing your mind, your decision making and your ability to foresee danger will be weakened or nullified. 

Having control of your mind is really what the enemy wants. If the devil, because that is our enemy, can get you to make decisions based upon desires and fears then he knows you won't make them by faith in Christ. 

Our job is to be self-controlled and alert and to do that we need to be acting in faith, humbly seeking Christ. Casting our cares upon him because we know he cares for us is part of the process. The enemy is roaring, trying to distract us and we need to stay focused on the truth that God loves us and is Sovereign over all. 

Jesus, we cast our cares upon you. Thank you that you are Sovereign and reign over all and will work all things for our good. Praise be to you in us today!

DO YOU NEED A LIFT?

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)

I don't know about you, but for me it can be awfully hard to wait for anything. Waiting for God should be easier because I should realize that he is Sovereign and has everything under his control. My problem is I can't see it. Sometimes it doesn't look like he is in control to me. But, the truth is that God is in control. 

What does humility have to do with trusting God? Let's go back to Moses. He got God upset at him twice. Once when God was telling him to go back to Egypt and once when he struck the rock twice and said, "Must we". Think about that. When Moses said "must we bring you water out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10) he was implying that he and God were bringing the water. No. God was. Moses was just supposed to hit the rock. Before that Moses wrote "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). He could write that because humility is knowing who you are before God. As long as Moses knew his place before God he was fine. But, the moment he thought it was him and God, not God through him, he was not allowed to bring the Israelites into the promised land. 

The point is that faith is knowing, whether you feel it or see it or not, God is in control and trust him to lift you up in due time. 

Father, lift us up! Praise be to you in us today!

GOT SHEEP?

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:1-4 (NIV)

I am a shepherd. I am entrusted with a marriage, a family, six classrooms full of kids, and few endeavours where I volunteer. 

You may not think that you have any influence because you are not "the leader" or a minister or evangelist, but, it is the Holy Spirit that moves and works in each of us. You may not know what God is doing, but he does. 

I was blessed to be involved with my youngest son's Cub Scout pack. This year he (we) moved up to the Boy Scouts. When I left several of the other parents told me they looked at me as a spiritual leader. I was just trying to be a good parent and friend as I believe Christ would have me be. I actually didn't think God was using me, but, he was. 

My point is that you should just try to be Christlike and serve in what ever way you can. God will decide how to use you. 

Father, help us to be Christlike and serve.  Praise be to you in us today!

DO YOU KNOW YOUR PART?

One of the truly gracious aspects of our relationship with God is that as part of our inheritance he has allotted to each of us a gift as a functioning part in his kingdom. 

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV)

What is your gift? What is the function you play as a part of the body of Christ? Are you where you need to be to function as a participant in the church? 

If I am not participating in church as a functional part, I am not fully experiencing my relationship with Christ and to be transparent on this, I am not where I think I should be. I am involved with the men's study at my church. But, I am not really serving. So, these verses speak to me to encourage me to do what the Spirit has put upon my heart. I ask you to join me and seek to serve where you see the need.

Father, may you lead us by your Spirit to do what you have called and purposed for us to do. We believe you  are faithful and will complete what you have started in us. Praise be to you in us today!