Another night of not sleeping well, waking up in the middle of the night and thoughts and fears running through my mind.  I wake up, get ready for work and spend time in my devotional.  Today’s (which is actually yesterday’s) was based on James 1:1-11.  I’m sure very familiar verses to those who have studied the Bible seeking peace and comfort in time of troubles and trials.

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

Take joy, when (not if) you face various kinds of trials so that we, as believers, may be made perfect and lack nothing, being perfectly and fully equipped.  Through these trials, if we lack wisdom, we just need to ask for it.  Ask for it from a God who is all loving and gives generously.

One statement that Matthew Henry makes is quite incredible to me.

“A mind that has single and prevailing regard to its spiritual and eternal interest, and that keeps steady in its purposes for God, will grow wise by afflictions, will continue fervent in devotion, and rise above trials and oppositions.  When our faith and spirits rise and fall with second causes, there will be unsteadiness in our words and actions.”

Essentially, if we stay focused on God, keeping an eternal and spiritual perspective, stay the course on our calling, we will grow in wisdom because of the trials we face, remain devoted to Him and will not only make it through the trials we face, but rise above them.

If we let our focus stray, we become unsteady.

We have victory in Jesus because He had victory over the cross and the grave.  Paul writes in Romans 8 that we have the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to help us in our weaknesses, we don’t have to be strong enough because the Holy Spirit makes up what we lack and intercedes for us.  God allows these trials into our life to refine us and make us more like Him and because of this we are not just conquerors, but we are more than conquerors, we too can be victorious.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

We don’t just win, we win big.  We get to have our cake and eat it too.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 15:26-27

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Peace Be Still (feat. Lauren Daigle) // The Belonging Co // All The Earth

Oh peace be still
You are here so it is well
Even when my eyes can’t see
I will trust the voice that speaks

Lord, in times of trials and troubles, may I dwell in Your Presence and Peace, grant me wisdom to navigate the waters I sail, give me the courage to stand firm and trust in You.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.      

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.

The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.

He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.

“Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

My devotional this morning, based on Luke’s version of the temptation of Jesus, led me to go back and read the scriptures which Jesus used to battle Satan with, specifically verse 4.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

This verse is from Deuteronomy 8 where Moses is writing to the the Israelites and reminding them of some of the things God did for them in the wilderness and that they should remember these things.

“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

Moses is reminding them that they need more than food to really live, but that they needed and we need “bread from Heaven”.  Moses goes on to say that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Continuing from yesterday’s writing, its easy for us to claim that we build our lives by our own efforts, that we can claim the achievements, status’s and accomplishments by our own efforts, but when things don’t go so well, we tend to blame other things, our circumstances, other people, etc.  Granted there are times we can look back at specific situations and say that person made such and such decision which led to such and such circumstance, but if we’re going to claim the good with our efforts we have to claim the bad with our efforts, or on the other hand give God the glory in the good and bad, we can’t pick and chose what seems to work for us.  We don’t always know what God is doing, but we can rest assured that He is working for our good.  There’s a command with a promise further on in the rest of the chapter.

Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  “He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. “It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. “Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God.

Job was stripped of everything he had, yet during his bad circumstances, he didn’t understand the reason for all the things that happened to him, which God permitted to happen, but he didn’t doubt God or speak badly of God.  In the end Job humbled himself and repented, God accepted his prayers and he was blessed more than before he had everything taken away.

God has and will continue to do great things…if we trust in Him and His workings in our lives.

Phil Wickham – Great Things

I was reading this morning in my devotional, Matthew Henry’s Daily readings, it was actually yesterday’s reading but was catching up. It was based on Psalm 60:1-5

O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us.

You have made the land quake, You have split it open; Heal its breaches, for it totters.

You have made Your people experience hardship; You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger.

You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah

That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer us!

I couldn’t help but think how applicable this would be today’s time.  Matthew Henry says in his commentary

David owns God’s displeasure to be the cause of all the hardships he had undergone. And when God is turning his hand in our favour, it is good to remember our former troubles. In God’s displeasure their troubles began, therefore in his favour their prosperity must begin. Those breaches and divisions which the folly and corruption of man make, nothing but the wisdom and grace of God can repair, by pouring out a spirit of love and peace, by which only a kingdom is saved from ruin. The anger of God against sin, is the only cause of all misery, private or public, that has been, is, or shall be. In all these cases there is no remedy, but by returning to the Lord with repentance, faith, and prayer; beseeching him to return to us. Christ, the Son of David, is given for a banner to those that fear God; in him they are gathered together in one, and take courage. In his name and strength they wage war with the powers of darkness.

Sin seems to be just running rampant in our society.  We seem to have become so comfortable in our sin and we seem to be so numb to the sinful nature and actions of our society any more that we just let bad things continue to happen.  To try and remedy it we all seem to be searching for some truth and solutions to our problems, when in reality unless we look at our hearts and turn them towards God, all of our efforts are in vain.  W need to hate sin as much as God hates sin.  As Matthew Henry says above, the divisions and breaches present today can only be repaired by God.  Slowly over time by diverting the focus of our hearts, by skewing our truths and turning our beliefs away from God, we have made a hot mess of our society.  As believers and followers of Jesus we need to pour out the Love and Peace He has for us into those around us.  W,e as a society and culture, need to, as Matthew Henry says, return to the Lord with repentance, faith and prayer, now more than ever.  We need leaders to stand firm on God’s Truth and live lives worthy to be called His.

I heard in a sermon this past weekend a reference to a statement made by Jim Dennison in which he compared the times of today like that of the 1st century.  Back then, and I believe, in today’s times, followers of Jesus Christ are being condemned and persecuted for their beliefs.  I pray that the church of today, like the first century church, will see incredible growth because of the chaotic and troubling times we are facing now.  I believe we can take rest and peace with knowing that God is still working for our good, He did back then, there’s no reason to believe He has stopped working today.

A couple days prior to his devotional, based on Genesis 10:15-32, Matthew Henry spoke about how Canaan was rich and numerous, yet under a divine curse.  He went on to say

Those that are under the curse of God, may, perhaps, thrive and prosper in this world; for we cannot know love or hatred, the blessing or the curse, by what is before us, but by what is within us. The curse of God always works really, and always terribly. Perhaps it is a secret curse, a curse to the soul, and does not work so that others can see it; or a slow curse, and does not work soon; but sinners are reserved by it for a day of wrath Canaan here has a better land than either Shem or Japheth, and yet they have a better lot, for they inherit the blessing.

I wonder if we have become like Canaan, have we lost focus on God and focused on our prosperity?  Have we missed the blessing of God’s presence in our lives or taken it for granted?  I’m not saying being prosperous is a bad thing and money and possessions are bad things, God chooses to bless who He wants, but we can’t have our hearts and attention focused on worldly things, status, etc in priority over God.  God must remain the focus of our attentions and how we live our lives.   Matthew Henry says at the end of this commentary.

How much better it is to be like Eber, the father of a family of saints and honest men, than the father of a family of hunters after power, worldly wealth, or vanities. Goodness is true greatness.

We need to get back to being honest people, honest with God, living lives of virtue and integrity, holding ourselves accountable for our own actions and not always blaming something or someone so that we may come back to being Good in God’s eyes.

I was reading my devoptional yesterday morning about the Christian Sabbath. The scripture was Genesis 2:2.

By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

What caught me was what Matthew Henry says about this in his commentary.

The sabbath of the Lord is truly honourable, and we have reason to honour it—honour it for the sake of its antiquity, its great Author, the sanctification of the first sabbath by the holy God himself, and by our first parents in innocency, in obedience to him. 4. The sabbath day is a blessed day, for God blessed it, and that which he blesses is blessed indeed. God has put an honour upon it, has appointed us, on that day, to bless him, and has promised, on that day, to meet us and bless us. 5. The sabbath day is a holy day, for God has sanctified it. He has separated and distinguished it from the rest of the days of the week, and he has consecrated it and set it apart to himself and his own service and honour. Though it is commonly taken for granted that the Christian sabbath we observe, reckoning from the creation, is not the seventh but the first day of the week, yet being a seventh day, and we in it, celebrating the rest of God the Son, and the finishing of the work of our redemption, we may and ought to act faith upon this original institution of the sabbath day, and to commemorate the work of creation, to the honour of the great Creator, who is therefore worthy to receive, on that day, blessing, and honour, and praise, from all religious assemblies.

What struck me was when he says that we commonly take for granted the sabbath being the seventh day, which Genesis says God rested on the seventh day, but he goes on to say that the Sabbath is the first day of the week. We go to church on Sundays to worship God, but if we really treat it like the first day, do we really give God our first fruits on the first day of the week. When we worship we’re supposed to bring our first and best to God.

If we look back and Cain and Able, Genesis 4 tells us

So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

Cain just brought an offering, whereas Able brought the first and fat portions.

I write this not to start a debate of which day should be the Sabbath, but as this commentary and scripture spoke to me, do we bring God the first fruits of our time? Do we use the Sabbath to rest and recuperate from our busy lives, which is not a bad thing, but to truly honor God. Scriptuire tells us that Jesus went off by Himself at times to rest and pray. For me, I do my quiet time first thing in the morning when everyone else is still sleeping and distractions are eliminated spending time in scripture and prayer. Yes there are days when I need that cup of coffee straight away to focus, but I feel it allows me to get centered on God for the day and bring to Him any worries and fears I may have for the day ahead.

Its easy to give God our first fruits of our finances, but time can carry much more value as you can never get the minutes that pass back.

With the recent events of COVID, related illnesses and loss of life, I believe there is a bigger issue at hand in our country.  Not to take away from the loss of life, economic loss, or all other things related to COVID, but if we look at other statistics in our country and the fatalities each year associated with these issues and compare them to COVID, there are other issues we need to be addressing these days and are overdo for taking a look at.

2017 CDC statistics

• 47,173 people died from suicide
  • 48,334 people died from suicide in 2018
  • 10^th leading cause in 2018
• 19,510 deaths ruled homicide
• 73,990 drug induced deaths
• 35,823 alcohol induced deaths
• 40,231 vehicle related deaths
  • 10,908 alcohol impaired driving fatalities – 2017 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812826
  • 10,511 alcohol impaired driving fatalities – 2018 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812826

	Number of Deaths 2017	50%
Suicide	47,173	23,587
Homicide	19,510	9,755
Drug Induced	73,990	36,995
Alcohol induced	35,823	17,912
Total	176,496	88,248

In reference to a publication called “Health, United States, 2018” – Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature disease and death in the United States, with more than 480,000 deaths each year attributed to smoking and secondhand smoke exposure (24 – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking—50 years of progress: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Office of Surgeon General. 2014.). – https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus18.pdf

• In 2018, cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies spent $9.06 billion on advertising and promotional expenses in the United States alone – https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_industry/marketing/index.htm
• Tobacco industry is a $48 billion industry

If we cut suicides, homicides, drug and alcohol related deaths just in half, we would save 88k lives each year.  These are all preventable deaths, there’s no reason this many people need to die each year due to these causes, which are choices we consciously make.  We choose to drink too much, cope with stress or other things in our life by smoking or taking drugs and allow negative effects and influences in our lives destroy us.   As of June 9^th, COVID 19 took 113k lives in the US.  Smoking alone kills four times as many people as COVID has this year so far.  To further help put the money in perspective, US alcohol sales in 2018 was $253.8 billion.

The above all leads to what I believe is the bigger issue, the breakdown of the family structure in America and the lack of leadership by men in the home.  Because of this lack of leadership within the American home and homes which lack a father, we have needless consequences and deaths.  We allow our children to found their self-worth on their performance both in what they do and how successful they are in school academically and socially instead of who they are in God’s eyes.  We have made status an idol in our society, both for our children and us as parents and adults.  We strive to be part of “have’s” and strive to not be part of the “have not’s” and allow our self worth and confidence in our worldly successes and accumulations. The stress and pressure of trying to live a worldly life is literally killing us and leading our children and families down a road that leads to nothing but destruction.

While I understand and sympathize with the loss of life because of COVID and my intention is not to take anything away from it, not to mention the economic loss, the fall-out and by-product of these behaviors is leading this generation and the next down a road that is not good and leads to hurt and pain and disappointment.  Fathers have a crucial role in their families and children’s life.  Its high time fathers stood firm in their roles, held themselves and others accountable for their actions and lack of leadership.

Fatherless homes – 2018 – https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/107-children-in-single-parent-families-by-race#detailed/1/any/false/37,871,870,573,869,36,868,867,133,38/10,11,9,12,1,185,13/432

• American Indian – 348,000 – 53%
• Asian and Pacific Islander – 547,000 – 15%
• Black or African American – 6,166,000 – 65%
• Hispanic or Latino – 7,301,000 – 41%
• Non-Hispanic White – 8,526,000 – 24%

https://lifeisbeautiful.org/statistics-on-fatherlesss-homes/

• Children who live in a single-parent home are more than 2 times more likely to commit suicide than children in a two-parent home. (The Lancet)
• Living in a fatherless home is a contributing factor to substance abuse, with children from such homes accounting for 75% of adolescent patients being treated in substance abuse centers. (U.S. Department of Justice)
• 63% of youth suicides involve a child who was living in a fatherless home when they made their final decision. (U.S. Department of Justice)
• Children who live in a fatherless home are 279% more likely to deal drugs or carry firearms for offensive purposes compared to children who live with their fathers. (Allen and Lo)

I am far from a perfect dad and very much have some much to learn, I still make my kids and wife mad at me at times and cause them to cry when I mess up, but we need to always strive to lead our families and be strong and love them. I believe the older, godly generation of men needs to help and mentor those who don’t have the godly influences in their lives.  Men in America need to stand up and be the men God has called them to be.  I firmly believe that if men did their jobs within the home most of our societal problems would go away.  We cannot be dependent upon government leadership to fix all our problems or provide for all our needs, we can’t depend on our schools to raise our children.  We as parents, and fathers especially, need to shepherd our families.  We need to get our hearts right with God, humble ourselves and turn our eyes to Him.  As I have heard Tony Evans say recently, when you have a God problem, only God can fix the problem.  America needs a heart transplant. We need to re-examine our hearts and lives to try and stop this generational cycle of loss of life and destruction of society.

And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. “But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 11:19-21

There is only one way to bring healing to our world and country today.

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:12-14

Men should be seeking God’s will each and every day.  “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 1 Kings 3:9.

Men should be taking care of their families and their home.  But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.  1 Timothy 5:8

I believe God is still working somehow through all of the events going on in our country today.  I have to believe that His Word is still holding true.  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Roman 8:28.

I have been sitting on this thought for a while pondering it.  Where do we get our encouragement from?  I know I have friends that encourage me, friends that I know I can call on to pray for me.  In times of trouble and trials, like now with all that is going on in the world, we certainly need encouragement to keep going and stay the course.

God has given us His Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as encouragers.  One of my favorite movie scenes is from Facing the Giants by the Kendrick brothers.  The team is at a point where leadership from within the team is lacking and the coach is looking for players to step and lead.  The team has a defeated attitude before the game has even begun.  So he puts the strongest player to the test, a player that he sees leadership potential in.

Facing the Giants – Death Crawl Scene

Just like the coach we have Jesus and Holy Spirit speaking to us encouraging us to keep going, reminding us that He is with us in the boat or whatever situation we are in.  Jesus, the one who rebukes the winds, makes the blind see, heals the lame so they can walk again, we have access to Him directly.  We have to rely on His strength and give him our best, not perfection because He knows that is not possible for us, but our best, our whole heart, our everything.

In Jesus we have the great role model on how to deal with trials.  In Gethsemane, Jesus sweat blood and cried tears, He asked for strength from God at His most dire moment, and God sent angels to strengthen Him.

He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:41-44

I have been listening to Hillsong’s King of Kings a bit lately, the words are awesome but some strike me in particular.

To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation
You did not despise the cross
For even in Your suffering
You saw to the other side
Knowing this was our salvation
Jesus for our sake You died

We may not always have the other side of a trial revealed to us, but Jesus sees that other side and He is with us right by our side as we walk each day, each moment, each second.  God is not surprised by anything that happens.

In time of need, cry out to Jesus and He will present Himself.  The Holy Spirit is present and available, Jesus is our great intercessor.  Trust in Him and He will lift you up.  Surround yourself with Godly people and God will work through them.

The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.  Psalm 9:9-10

I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. Psalm 34:4-7

I encourage the friends I have because I need the encouragement as well.  But I pray that Jesus would speak through me, because He can speak better words than I could ever speak.  These days we can certainly be a light in a dark place.  But call on Jesus, let Him strengthen and encourage you.

King of Kings (Live) – Hillsong Worship

I hope this encourages you to stay the course and keep going.  If there is anyway I can pray for you, email me, I would love to pray for you.

Like most Americans, I watched the Super Bowl yesterday and before the game they honored the 100 greatest players of all time.  Which as a fan of the game was pretty cool.  Even to see guys that played and coached the game well before my time.  During this when they were showing Jim Brown, I thought, how cool would it be to be honored in the top of whatever you do.  Being honored as the top doctor, lawyer, project manager, etc, fill in the blank.

Jesus talked about being the greatest.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  Matthew 18:1-5

To be fair, these greatest couldn’t have been the greatest without the help of their teammates and some of these guys are humble in their personality.  But in order for us to be the greatest in God’s eyes we must truly humble ourselves and approach God and our Christian walk with child like faith.  The great thing is we have the best team mate anyone could ask for in Jesus.

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”  “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”  “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:20-28

In order to be great we must have a faithful servant’s heart.  We become great when we put those around us ahead of us.  We must also learn to carry other’s burdens.  When we learn to have child like faith, then we’ll be on the way to hearing “Well done good and faithful servant.”  Being held in high esteem by our Lord and Savior will far outweigh the accolades of this life.  Its not the easiest road to travel but what Jesus has done for us and prepared for us is far greater than what this world can ever offer.  The things of this world will one day fade away.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus traded His place in Heaven temporarily to live as a man on earth to experience life in the flesh so He could identify with the things we face, so we can have the opportunity to be with Him in Heaven for eternity.  He bled and died a horrific death for fellowship with us to close the gap between us and the Father.  He paid the ultimate price for the sins we commit.  Our slate is clean because the The Father loves us so much He sent His one and only son to die for us.  We need to get low so one day we can be raised up.

Hillsong – Touch the Sky

I’ve been reading and wrestling over 1 Peter 1 over the last week or so, coming off the back of a youth retreat I was part of at our church where the theme was Holiness.  Specifically I have been reading over and over verses 10-12

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

It talks about how the prophets studied with intent the sufferings of Jesus and the glory to follow.  Matthew Henry writes,

Jesus Christ was the main subject of the prophets’ studies. Their inquiry into the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow, would lead to a view of the whole gospel, the sum whereof is, That Christ Jesus was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification. 

But the part that has caught me was the end when Peter talks about how Angels long to look into the same message of the Gospel.  Angels are in the presence of God and they long, they set their heart upon, looking into these scriptures.

So if the angels long to look for these things, shouldn’t we?  I have found that the more I study scripture, the more I want to study scripture.  I want to know more about God’s love for me.  Like the church of Philadelphia I want to know God’s Word so I can keep it.

I attended a talk on Acts last night and the speaker covered the Bereans in Acts.  Luke writes in Acts 17,

11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

When we read scripture do we just read through superficially or are we reading with intent like the Bereans?  Do we read and dive into scripture fervently with anticipation and eagerness?  Do we wrestle with God’s Word and not let go until He blesses us?  I find more and more when I ask God’s Holy Spirit to be present when I study He shows up.  Its not always the message I was expecting, but God has a way of speaking through His Word and Holy Spirit the message you need at that moment if you are open to it.  God’s Word is powerful and very much alive.

Waiting Here For You – Christy Nockels

Lately I have been listening and reading quite a bit about trials, the troubles we face in life, not purposely seeking it out but I think it is God speaking to me through these messages.  I have also been reflecting on past events and I realize more and more the difficulties of walking in step with the Jesus and how truthful it is when Jesus told the disciples that they would face troubles and how James writes about when we face trials.

I have to admit I do have a fear of falling away as some of the followers of Jesus did.  I have a fear that the time I spend in the “crucible” of life is and will be too overwhelming and I won’t be able to follow in full obedience to Jesus.

But then I remind myself, where would I go, to whom would I turn?

I have to continually remind myself that Jesus is working for my good.  As painful and difficult things may be I am being refined and made holy so I may someday enter into His Holy presence for eternity.  I am thankful for His Holy Spirit who guides me and leads me.  I was reminded a while ago that as a new parent at the hospital you have access to all the nurses to help care for the baby while at the hospital, but as soon as you leave, you’re on your own.  But we as believers aren’t on our own, we have the the Holy Spirit with us.

I just finished listening to Sadie Robertson’s talk at Passion 2020, which I highly recommend listening to along with the other speakers, and she spoke about John 21.  After Jesus rose from the grave He appeared to some of the disciples who had gone back fishing after not having Jesus around.  But He cared for them I think in a couple of incredible ways.  I never really saw this before but He first met their physical needs by feeding them, they had been fishing all night and I imagine were quite hungry.  Then He met their spiritual needs by affirming His love for them, specifically Peter, who publicly denied Jesus.

At the end, Jesus tells Peter to follow Him, the task of tasks! Which we are called to do as well.  He even told Peter the death he would face yet, Peter followed Jesus and became one of the first and greatest proclaimers of the Gospel, even with all of his “baggage”.

I pray you and I will not fall away.  I pray we will be like the church of Philidelphia, I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8, Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10.

Waymaker – Leeland

 

We started studying the Beatitudes this morning in Bible Study and when we got to verse 5, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God, the question was asked, “how do we become peacemakers when we have such hot topics of discussion in our world today?”  

It occurred to me that we, as a society, culture and people, tend to tie our identities, who we are, to our ideals and beliefs, whether political, religious or societal.  We can’t let our differences in belief overshadow the fact that we are all still human, people and most important of all created by God in His image.  There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing with others on ideals and beliefs, but we have to remember to love the person and not necessarily the idea.  We can be promoters of peace by remembering that the person is more important that the issue.  Forming or maintaining the relationship is more important than burning a bridge.

Paul tells us in Romans 10:12-13, For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Paul tells us a couple of chapters later in Romans 12:16 and 18, 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.  and 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Granted, it is incredibly difficult to live at peace with everyone, even Paul had a disagreement and went separate ways from Barnabas.  But striving to be at peace with everyone takes a lot of humility.  I don’t believe it means we will agree with everyone we come across all the time, we’re people with a bent towards sin and selfishness, but we should put aside those selfish desires and strive to seek God’s will and wisdom in these situations.  If we humble ourselves and seek His wisdom and understanding, God will show up and reveal Himself and His will to us.

I believe humility is the key to this and the rest of the beatitudes, recognizing who we are in relation to God and understanding He is much bigger than we are and one of our goals is, as a pastor I listen to says, to enhance His reputation for His glory and honor, and until we get humility right we’re going to struggle with the rest.  You never know, in some of these discussions, you may be a great opportunity for the other person to see and hear about Jesus.

Lord Jesus, clothe me in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Let me put on Love.

Lord, search my heart and examine my mind. Give me strength to turn from sin and wicked ways.

Lord, sanctify me, purify me entirely, remove the dross from me so I may dwell in your presence so others may see you in me.

Who You Say I Am – Hillsong Worship