Choose to Flourish

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
   they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
   they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
   they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
   he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Psalms 92:12-15 NIV

My wife has a green thumb. She gives them just the right amount of care so they will flourish. Once she planted aloe vera plant and it has grown from a little sapling to full sized plant. More than once I have gone out to it and cut off a leaf and rubbed its juices on a cut or burn. 

We, planted in the house of the LORD, will flourish in his care. That means we will grow up in Christ and be useful for the body of Christ. The Lord is upright. That means he isn't going to abuse us or allow things to hurt us for no reason. God will prune us and that may not be enjoyable at the moment, but, it will lead to greater fruitfulness. Through those pruning moments we need to remember to look to the LORD our Rock and remember there is no wickedness in him. 

The difference between you and I and a seed is that we can choose where we are planted. We can be planted in "the house of the LORD" or we can plant ourselves on rocky places and among thorns (see Matthew 13:1-9). If you are reading this I feel confident you are trying to flourish in the house of the LORD. Let him doing his pruning and be willing to be the aloe vera that will bring healing to someone else in the house of the LORD.

Vow Up

I am under vows to you, my God;

   I will present my thank offerings to you.

For you have delivered me from death 
   and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God

   in the light of life.

Psalms 56:12-13 NIV

On Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming album there is a song titled "Gotta Serve Somebody". I remember watching him perform the tune on Saturday Night Live. The reality of life is that you are either serving God or you're a slave to sin. There is no other option.

Today is a good day to remember that we belong to Christ. We thank him because he has delivered us from death, eternal death, which is eternity without God and without hope. That is the good news for the future. Someday we will be with him in paradise.

In his amazing grace he also keeps our feet from stumbling in the present. Remember that David wrote this about a time when he was escaping the Philistines by acting like a mad man while running from Saul, who was trying to kill him. If you have ever run from someone you know that if you stumble and fall, your done. The Spirit of God is there to help us as fight the good fight on a daily basis. 

The end that God has in mind for us is that we walk before him in the light of life. Get it? God delivers us so that we, by faith, may enjoy his presence now. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12b). Thank God that he sent his Son to die for us, that his Spirit may indwell us and light the path he puts before us. 

In a sense, what we must do is vow up. Remember we gave our selves to Christ and promised to follow him. Vow up, brothers and sisters in the Lord!

Have the Son. Have Life.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I John 5:12

It's pretty straightforward isn't it? If you want to have eternal life, you must have the Son of God. 

In John 10:10 Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." There are a plethora of religious and spiritual offerings out there that appeal to a lot of different emotions and inner needs. But, unless they believe that Jesus, the Son of God came as a real person, died and rose again, they are just thieves seeking to steal your soul and keep you from eternal life in Christ. 

There really isn't much to say after that. Some beliefs may offer self satisfaction through works. Some may deny all deity and look only to themselves and so called reason for answers. But, all are deceptive lies that will lead people away from the truth, from eternal life in Christ. 

Do you have the Son?

HOW DO YOU STAY FOCUSED IN PRAYER?

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 

I Peter 4:7

Prayer is much more than a recitation of a liturgy. Prayer is  the pouring out of our hearts to God our Father. 

I think one of the reasons that Jesus told his disciples to go into a closet when they prayed is because he simply wanted them to be able to focus on prayer and not be distracted. Have you ever talked with someone and you knew they were thinking of something else? You can see it in there eyes. They're talking to you but they are obviously thinking of something else. They have that far away look. 

Well, when we pray, we need to be focused on prayer and the Father to whom we are praying. Sometimes I write out my prayers just because it focuses me. Other times I walk. It just depends on what will help me keep a clear mind and focus on talking with God. 

How do you stay clear minded and self-controlled when you pray?

Father, help us to be clear minded and self-controlled when we pray. Praise be to you in us today!

TAKE THE HOPE!

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

   nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

the Lord delights in those who fear him, 

   who put their hope in his unfailing love.

       Psalms 147:10-11 (NIV)

My youngest son has been watching King of the Nerds lately. They start out by picking teams. It's sort ironic because even the "nerds" try to pick the strongest person each time. That is the way of the world. 

But God does not need our strength.  He is not impressed with our abilities or attributes. What he does delight in is those who fear him and put their hope in his unfailing love. 

So if you are busy trying to be good enough, stop. Having devotions, praying, helping at church, volunteering for local events and trying not to do anything wrong are all good, but not impressive to God. God is not waiting for you to accomplish anything before he will accept you. Christ accomplished it all upon the cross. 

The good news is that God just wants to put your hope in his unfailing love. Our love will fail. His love will not fail. Whenever we need his love, his love is unfailing. 

Father, thank you for your unfailing love. Open our eyes to see your unfailing love in our lives. Praise be to you in us today! 

Do You Have a Right to Not Be Merciful?

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement!" James 2:12-13

I am a very imperfect person. That is not offered up as an excuse. When I sin, I sin. No one made me sin. I sinned. I do not want to sin. I try to seek God on a daily basis through prayer and Bible study. But, sometimes I still sin. And I don't think I am really any different that anyone who might read this. 

We all sin. That means that I need mercy, and you need mercy. My wife needs mercy. Anyone I deal with needs mercy.

These verses are not about legalism they are about forgiveness and freedom because of the mercy of God shown to us in Christ Jesus. What they are about is a serious self-check about understanding the mercy of God. Matthew 6:14-15 stresses, 

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." 

I boils down to this: we are merciful to others because God is merciful to us. We don't have a right to NOT be merciful. 

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." 

Ephesians 2:4-5

Question of the day? Who do I need to be merciful to today? How is God showing me mercy today?

Father, thank you for your mercy to me! Help me to be merciful to others! Praise be to you in us today!

DRAW NEAR TO GOD

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:19-22

Sports teams love to have little catch phrases to keep themselves focused. The school I work at has the motto, "Make it matter!" to encourage everyone to always do their best. I think "let us draw near to God" is a pretty good reminder for Christians. 

Whatever is or has been going on in you life, "Draw near to God". Because of the tremendous sacrifice of Christ on our behalf, "Draw near to God". Because you want to know God more, on a deeper basis, "Draw near to God". Because your wife and kids need you to be their spiritual leader, "Draw near to God". Mostly, because in Christ God is drawing us near to himself, "Draw near to God"! 

Spirit of the Living God, help us to draw near to you. Praise be to you in us today!

GOD GUIDES, TO THE END

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; 
     he will be our guide even to the end." 
 Psalm 48:14

In Hebrews chapter 2 we read about Christ become our perfect High Priest by becoming like us. Christ, became a man and experienced life as we know it so that he might save us completely. Jesus knows what it feels like to be a human. Christ even experienced and defeated death on our behalf. 

Whatever you are going through, God knows the way. Wherever you are, God knows the way. God will make a way. 

Father, help us to follow you as you lead us through our lives. Praise be to you in us today! 

GET LIFE TO THE FULL: II Timothy 1:10

"But it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." II Timothy 1:10

Jesus proclaimed, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). 

Here is the bottom line: to be truly alive you have to be in Christ, everything else is just prolonged death. All joy, all sorrow, all life finds its' reality in Christ. From the fellowship of his sufferings to the hope of the place he is preparing for us in heaven, there is life, true life. If you think you understand suffering, think about the cross. If you think you understand being let down by your closest friends, think about all the disciples deserting Christ. If you want to know giving, Christ gave his very life. If you want to know life, it is found in Christ.

Father, open our eyes to see life, life to the full, that you have given us in Christ! Praise be to you in us today!