"Come to Me, all of you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28 NKJV)
Anybody out there tired? Anybody feel like you've been beaten down & you just need to catch your breath & get your second wind? Christ is the place to go. You can go to Him & rest there in His strength & in His arms. Too often we try to go on our own & that's what wears us down. If we would just rely on Him & trust in Him, our burden would be so much lighter. As in one of my favorite books, "Pilgrims Progress" we spend too much time carrying around that backpack of the past, our fears, worries , & failures. If we would take that backpack to the cross & leave it there, Christ will dispose of it for us & we can walk much lighter. Sometimes, we get tired & its hard to take that rest but we can always go to the One Who gives us rest. If youre feeling tired & worn down claim this promise for your day & rest in our Redeemer. He will refresh you.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Whats their need
Jesus went throughout Gaililee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, & healing every disease & sickness among the people. ( Matt. 4:23 NIV)
Christ is our example. This was an example of His ministry. A model that I would think would be good for us to follow. First He went. He went to the people were who needed Him. As Christians we need to be in the world making a difference. How do we do that? Follow Christs example. He preached. He healed. He met their needs. Our preaching carries a lot more weight when we're showing enough concern for them to meet their needs. God can multiply our abilities, talents, & resources to do just that. If we will be about following His example, He will use us to do great things. I believe God is wanting to unleash His power through believers who trust Him enough to allow Him to work through them. Would you like to be one of those believers who had the power of the Holy Spirit moving through them? Lets set about following His example & watch what He does.
Christ is our example. This was an example of His ministry. A model that I would think would be good for us to follow. First He went. He went to the people were who needed Him. As Christians we need to be in the world making a difference. How do we do that? Follow Christs example. He preached. He healed. He met their needs. Our preaching carries a lot more weight when we're showing enough concern for them to meet their needs. God can multiply our abilities, talents, & resources to do just that. If we will be about following His example, He will use us to do great things. I believe God is wanting to unleash His power through believers who trust Him enough to allow Him to work through them. Would you like to be one of those believers who had the power of the Holy Spirit moving through them? Lets set about following His example & watch what He does.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Know the Power
I want to know Christ & the power of His resurrection & the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, & so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Phillipians 3:10 NIV)
As Christians, I think we often underestimate the power that we have available to us. We have the same power as was used to raise Christ from the dead. I think we have not even come close to seeing what God can do through us if we would only let that power work through us. I think part of the reason for that is when struggles & difficulties come we give up too soon. God uses those struggles to grow us, refine us, & to make us more fruitful for Him. We have to remember that as we go through those struggles, we still have that same power available to us. Instead of being defeated & turning back too soon, we need to access that power that comes from Almighty God & move those mountains. There will be struggles in life but God promises to use them for our good. So when they come, stay faithful & use the power & watch what God does with you.
As Christians, I think we often underestimate the power that we have available to us. We have the same power as was used to raise Christ from the dead. I think we have not even come close to seeing what God can do through us if we would only let that power work through us. I think part of the reason for that is when struggles & difficulties come we give up too soon. God uses those struggles to grow us, refine us, & to make us more fruitful for Him. We have to remember that as we go through those struggles, we still have that same power available to us. Instead of being defeated & turning back too soon, we need to access that power that comes from Almighty God & move those mountains. There will be struggles in life but God promises to use them for our good. So when they come, stay faithful & use the power & watch what God does with you.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Keep on Speaking
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, don't be silent. For I am with you, & no one is going to attack you & harm you , because I have many people in this city. (Acts 18: 9&10 NIV)
Today I think it has become increasingly easy to be quiet & not share Gods word with others because we can feel concerned with what others might say or do in response. However, Christs words to Paul apply to us today as well. We need to keep sharing Gods word. We need to live it, speak it & walk it. The world needs Gods word now more than ever. There are many out there misrepresenting it & its up to us to speak the truth. We can do this because we know that Christ goes with us. If Christ is with us, we have nothing to fear. Also, the world will tell us that there aren't many Christians left but just as God says here in His word He has many of us left. We need to work together to continue speaking His word, encouraging each other, & doing the work Christ has given us to do. I encourage you today, don't be afraid, keep speaking, keep working. God has a great work for us to do & remember, He goes with us.
Today I think it has become increasingly easy to be quiet & not share Gods word with others because we can feel concerned with what others might say or do in response. However, Christs words to Paul apply to us today as well. We need to keep sharing Gods word. We need to live it, speak it & walk it. The world needs Gods word now more than ever. There are many out there misrepresenting it & its up to us to speak the truth. We can do this because we know that Christ goes with us. If Christ is with us, we have nothing to fear. Also, the world will tell us that there aren't many Christians left but just as God says here in His word He has many of us left. We need to work together to continue speaking His word, encouraging each other, & doing the work Christ has given us to do. I encourage you today, don't be afraid, keep speaking, keep working. God has a great work for us to do & remember, He goes with us.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Why work
We continually remember before our God & Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, & your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 1:3 NIV)
So salvation is a free gift from God. We don't have to do anything to receive it. This fact brings up the question then of why work. In todays society this can be a popular idea of why work when you can get it for free. The answer to that question is because of our love for our Lord & Savior which causes us to want to do what pleases Him. It is because of our love for others that we want to share Christ with them. The world today is in desperate need of hope & as Christians we have that hope to share with the world. We don't (or shouldn't) work to get something but its out of love (the two greatest commandments) that we work. And the last thing it talks about here is endurance. If youre getting tired & sometimes feel like youre not seeing results, remember where our hope rests. It rests in the Most High God, the Creator of the Universe, Jehovah Jireh, & Jehovah Rapha. So I want to encourage you to get your second wind & keep working. God will bring about the results if we show His love & continue to do His work.
So salvation is a free gift from God. We don't have to do anything to receive it. This fact brings up the question then of why work. In todays society this can be a popular idea of why work when you can get it for free. The answer to that question is because of our love for our Lord & Savior which causes us to want to do what pleases Him. It is because of our love for others that we want to share Christ with them. The world today is in desperate need of hope & as Christians we have that hope to share with the world. We don't (or shouldn't) work to get something but its out of love (the two greatest commandments) that we work. And the last thing it talks about here is endurance. If youre getting tired & sometimes feel like youre not seeing results, remember where our hope rests. It rests in the Most High God, the Creator of the Universe, Jehovah Jireh, & Jehovah Rapha. So I want to encourage you to get your second wind & keep working. God will bring about the results if we show His love & continue to do His work.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Sing
About midnight Paul & Silas were praying & singing hymns to God, & the other prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25 NIV)
So there was Paul & Silas in terrible conditions in prison, & they were praying & singing. Yes, It says praying & singing, not complaining & crying. They weren't having a good day but they knew they had hope because of Jesus Christ. The thing I find interesting is that it says here that the other prisoners were listening. They were probably amazed about two people in prison praying & singing. The point is that the world is watching. How are Christians responding to bad circumstances? Are we praying & singing or grumbling & complaining. Are we joining in with the gloom & doom of the news reports or are we praising God because He is still on the throne & in control? Are we acting differently than the rest of the world? You see the other prisoners were listening because Paul & Silas were different than the others. The other prisoners wanted what they had. Can the same be said of us today? So eyes off of the circumstances, & back on your true Hope & get that song back in your heart & out of your mouth>
So there was Paul & Silas in terrible conditions in prison, & they were praying & singing. Yes, It says praying & singing, not complaining & crying. They weren't having a good day but they knew they had hope because of Jesus Christ. The thing I find interesting is that it says here that the other prisoners were listening. They were probably amazed about two people in prison praying & singing. The point is that the world is watching. How are Christians responding to bad circumstances? Are we praying & singing or grumbling & complaining. Are we joining in with the gloom & doom of the news reports or are we praising God because He is still on the throne & in control? Are we acting differently than the rest of the world? You see the other prisoners were listening because Paul & Silas were different than the others. The other prisoners wanted what they had. Can the same be said of us today? So eyes off of the circumstances, & back on your true Hope & get that song back in your heart & out of your mouth>
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Papa
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. Its adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next Papa?" (Rom. 8:15 Message)
This was the perfect verse for me today. There are times in life when you just cant wait to tell your mom or dad something because you know as a child they can take care of it. As you get older, you often cant wait to tell your spouse about something because youre looking for support. I even now find myself wishing I still had my grandparents to ask something & learn from their wisdom. In ministry, I often wish I has my grandpa, (a pastor) to ask Him how he handled certain things. I will also admit that this week I have been feeling kind of beaten down. But this verse says we shouldn't be timid as Christians but that we should be expectant. The reason we can do so is because we can still run to our Father (papa), climb up in His lap & watch with child-like faith as He gladly helps us. Even though I no longer have my grandpa to ask those questions to, I can go to anytime, anywhere. If you don't know that relationship with Almighty God, I want to encourage you to take care of that today. There is no greater comfort than His loving arms. So if youre tired & lifes battles seem to be beating you down, know that your Heavenly Father is there with arms open to strengthen you & fight those battles for you.
This was the perfect verse for me today. There are times in life when you just cant wait to tell your mom or dad something because you know as a child they can take care of it. As you get older, you often cant wait to tell your spouse about something because youre looking for support. I even now find myself wishing I still had my grandparents to ask something & learn from their wisdom. In ministry, I often wish I has my grandpa, (a pastor) to ask Him how he handled certain things. I will also admit that this week I have been feeling kind of beaten down. But this verse says we shouldn't be timid as Christians but that we should be expectant. The reason we can do so is because we can still run to our Father (papa), climb up in His lap & watch with child-like faith as He gladly helps us. Even though I no longer have my grandpa to ask those questions to, I can go to anytime, anywhere. If you don't know that relationship with Almighty God, I want to encourage you to take care of that today. There is no greater comfort than His loving arms. So if youre tired & lifes battles seem to be beating you down, know that your Heavenly Father is there with arms open to strengthen you & fight those battles for you.
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