Friday, April 26, 2013

You Are His Masterpiece

You are His masterpiece
The imprints of God’s fingers cover you

Made in His image
Created for noble purposes
You have a unique, well-fitted calling

To draw the aimless crowd into the Savior’s arms
To bring the good news message near and far
To sow the seeds of God’s word
Into hungry hearts

You are gifted
With supernatural abilities
Infused with God’s Spirit
You are more than able
Through Christ’s ability

You were created for great things
Not to settle for mediocre living
Pursue the Master
Live on fire for the mission He has called you to

As you follow Him
Your one life will make a significant difference
Like a mile-wide ripple on the ocean surface

Sunday, April 21, 2013

You Are Complete in Him!


And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. 
Colossians 2:10 KJV

The Christian walk is not hard; it is impossible. Holiness is unattainable. We can never live like Christ asked us to live in our own strength. It's like trying to climb a mountain wearing Rollerblades on our feet and mittens over our fingers. It simply can't be done. But when we take a different approach the impossible becomes possible.

We must understand that our position in Christ is that of completion. We are complete in Him. He has made us righteous. We are not to try to become righteous. We can rest in the finish work of Christ. Out of that understanding we can take up our cross and follow Christ. But while we bear the weight of the beam, we must understand that we are not to bear it alone. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” A yoke is an instrument used to harness two animals that pull a plow. Jesus is yoked to us, and He wants to hold the greater portion of the weight. We do not walk this road alone. His grace will enable us, motivate us, and energize us. He will make us holy.

Our growth in Him takes time, and in the process, we will fall many times. But blessed is the man, woman, or child who learns to get back up. God's grace is to be the motivator and the sustainer of our lives. No matter how far we may fall, God sees us as complete in Him. When we miss the mark, God wants us to confess our sins to Him and go on. It is in an atmosphere of grace that God's ways will take root in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will sanctify us (make us holy). He will enable us to grow. We must remember that positionally we are already complete in Him. As we allow Him, the Lord is bringing about the practical application of our completeness in Christ. Philippians 1:6 says that we can be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it unto completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Monday, April 15, 2013

A Prayer Response to Today's Tragedy

Let us pray for those affected by the Boston Marathon Bombing.  Pray for healing.  Pray for peace.  Pray for comfort.  Pray that the Lord will allow good to come from this terrible tragedy.  Let us ask the Lord to bring about swift justice and yet, for those who caused this, that they would know the conviction and deliverance that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father God, we pray that You would minister Your grace to those that are suffering from today’s horrific event.  For the victims and their families we ask You Lord to touch each life.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

When Blessings Abound

The unobtrusive stream carves
A canyon through mountain rock
Over time faithfulness pays
Victory is born from minor successes
Sometimes falling, always rising

A faithful man or woman
Abounds with blessings
Like a waterfall
Drenching fertile soil
Like a coral reef
Brimming with color-filled life

Saturday, April 6, 2013

On Earth as it is in Heaven


And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb. Each was holding a harp (lute or guitar), and they had golden bowls full of incense (fragrant spices and gums for burning), which are the prayers of God's people (the saints). And [now] they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:8-9 AMP

The atmosphere of heaven is full of heartfelt praise to Almighty God. The angels with one voice extol Him. It is a place of intense worship, where Jehovah is the sole object of their devotion. And the prayers of the saints are offered as incense to Him. We, who are born from above, are called to worship as well. We are called to give to God our heartfelt praise, we are to offer Him our intercession for others and for the furtherance of His kingdom.

We can enter into the praise of heaven. Jesus said, “Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We are to pray for the ways of heaven to become part of our daily experience. We are to give ourselves to intercession and praise. We are to surrender to Almighty God and let him have full reign. The Bible calls His children priests of the Most High. In the Old Testament the priests offered sacrifices to the Lord. In this present day, believers are called priests as well. And we are to offer God our sacrifices of believing prayer and fervent praise.

Although Christ calls us to live a devoted life, this does not mean that we will always enjoy life on the mountain of glory. Much of our lives on earth will be spent in the toil of the dark valley. While Jesus draws us to worship Him and pray for others, we must learn to live this out in an ordinary world. While we grow in intimacy with our Lord, we will also experience the pressure and sweat of an earthly existence. But with help of the Holy Spirit we can live out our lives on earth as it is in heaven.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The God-man

The God-man bore upon His shoulders
The weight of the world
Our hideous sin
Our sickness
Our crippling disease

At this juncture in time
He laid aside His rights to the Divine

He took our place on the cross
The substitute for our sin
His death brought mercy to the unpardonable
To those lost in sin

His forgiveness extended to the uttermost
He brought victory to each of us
When He rose

Death did not have the final say
Three days later
Came Resurrection Day

Glory to Jesus the God-man
Fully human, fully divine
Because of Him we also rise

We identify with Him
Dead to sin
Alive to God
On Satan’s head we trod

All because of this Man
Who is also Almighty God