These Trying Times

God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

These are trying times. The hearts of the nations have been stirred by something as microscopic and seemingly insignificant as a virus.  Many are fearing for their lives. It is important that we be cautious, but we should not let the chaos flood our souls.

We can trust the Lord, through these difficult days, and we can also be a light to others. God is our Protector and Healer. He can prevent us from the Corona virus, but if we or someone we know should succumb to it, he can heal us from it.

We can show kindness and mercy to those around us. Our hands are healing hands. The Bible says in Mark 16 that believers shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. We can bring the miraculous power of God as well as His gospel to those that are suffering.  We can also pray and intercede for the nations. People everywhere need our prayers.

Let’s not cave in to the pressure that wants to swirl around our heads. Instead, let’s lift high the banner of love as we offer to others Christ’s mercy, healing and the message of the gospel.

In Spirit and Truth

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." John 4:24

I do not like the idea of God being strict. I love basking in his kindness and rejoicing in his blessing, but God is not only Spirit, he is also Truth.

Sometimes, our Lord can be firm with us. He ways are black and white without a shade of gray. We are not to bend on some things. God's word is absolute truth.

When we relate with people, we must do so with grace sprinkled with salt or truth. We are to always love those in our sphere of influence, but we must do so within the boundaries that God's word outlines for us.

How are we doing at this? I, for one, needed the reminder.

Bond-Servant

As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. Psalm 123:2

 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, who is a much-loved brother and faithful assistant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will give you all the information. Colossians 4:7 AMP

A bond-slave or bond-servant is a slave who was freed but chose to serve their master out of their own free will. We are to serve God in this way. Not out of compulsion or coercion but from a willing heart that desires to serve and put him first.

Our eyes should always be on our Lord. We look to him for guidance, sustenance and mercy. We gaze upon him with love, adoration, reverence and confident faith. He is our all in all, our everything. We are hopelessly indebted to him for giving us his Son as the sacrifice for our sins.

We have been freed from a life of slavery, where we were chained to sin and sorrow, now we can serve our Lord and each other from emancipated hearts.

Perhaps you believe you have accepted Christ as your Savior and Liberator yet you do not know the Lord experientially as your Master. He is Lord of all and for you to effectively know the Lord, you must come to a place of surrender. He must be first in your life. Jesus said, “Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15. It is not enough for is to believe in the Lord. We must repent of our sins. We must willingly make Jesus our Lord and Master. Then we shall be saved.

If you have not made Jesus your Lord and Savior, come and pray along with me…

Dear Father God,

Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me and to wash away all my sins. I believe Jesus rose from the dead. I repent of my sins and I choose to make him the Lord of my life. Thank you for saving me not on the basis of what I have done but on the basis of your great mercy. I choose to be your bond-servant. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Once you have made this wonderful commitment, there are some things that you should do…

Find a good church where the Bible is preached without compromise but with compassion and attend it often.

Pray and read the Bible regularly.

Tell others of your newfound faith in God.

Their Hearts Melt in Fear

Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water. Psalm 114:7-8

We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Joshua 2:10-11

This second scripture records words from the mouth of Rahab speaking to the two Israelite spies. She reveals a pervasive fear that those from Jericho possessed. There is good reason to believe that many in the ancient world believed this way. They were afraid of the power and might of Jehovah.  They had heard stories that he split the red sea and gave great military victories to his people.

There are also promises in the Bible that say the ungodly will fear those who live for the Lord. Deuteronomy 28:10 says, “Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.”

Deep in the hearts of the unsaved, dwells a fear of the living God and his children. This timidity is at the heart of persecution. They may not acknowledge it or realize it, but their hatred for us is fueled by fear.

But our response is to love them into the kingdom through our prayers, kind actions, and faithful testimony of the gospel.

Dear Awesome God,

Thank you for your great and glorious acts. You are a miracle-working God. I believe that those who do not know you fear you and your followers, even if they do not realize it. Help me to spend my life to see them come to you. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.

He Deserves Our Thanksgiving

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 KJV

It is a peculiar thing about the human race. All of us in one way or another have a tendency to put ourselves first. We are selfish from the womb (See Proverbs 22:15). Without the Lord in our lives we are bent on sin. Some of us dwell on our failures. In this way we are preoccupied with ourselves and do not care for the needs of others as we should. Others seek to gratify themselves and have a tendency to be prideful. The cure for both types of selfishness is Jesus.

When we come to Christ confessing our sins and bowing before his throne, we receive God’s gift of eternal life. For this, we should overflow with thanksgiving. But it is not only salvation that is a gift from God. Our sanctification, or growing up in Him, is also a gift from God. We cannot claim any right for any ounce of spiritual maturity that we may possess in the Lord. It is all a gift. Sure we must work with him to grow in our faith, but even our ability to follow Him is given by God. Our talents and our treasures are also a gift from God. So there is no room for boasting.

If your walk with God seems more like a limp, if you are prone to falling, know that God is close to the brokenhearted. He loves you and His promise is that He is faithful to help us overcome. All of us fall. All of us sin at times, but the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him. Because of his mercy we can be thankful.

So let’s thank God for his many blessings in our lives. Let’s not be proud like the world believing that all we have is because of our own striving or intellect. Let’s choose to be humble and thank God for his many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Glorious Praise

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Psalm 98:4-6

We are to make his praise glorious (Psalm 66:2b). The praise and worship we offer God is not only to be offered in quiet tones. Sometimes our praise to the Lord should bring the roof down. Believe it or not there is a place for joyous shouting in the house of the Lord.

There is also a place for various instruments. Some denominations do not believe that singing to the Lord should be accompanied by instrumentation. I strongly disagree. The scriptures speak of a variety of instruments such as drums, trumpets, harps, lyres and tambourines. These instruments were used in bringing praise to the Lord. During a church service, each musician should add to the worship experience. There should be melody and harmony. There should be a beautiful flow of expression under the authority of the worship leader. In order for this to occur, the musicians need to be skilled at their craft, and they should possess a humble spirit.

There is no place for glory-seekers on a praise and worship team. Each member should submit to the leader’s direction and each member should have a strong desire to worship God.

The corporate worship experience is not just dependent upon the praise and worship team. Each member of the congregation is to enter into the worship of the Lord. It is not important that these members have any singing talent. The Bible says to make a joyful noise. God is interested in our hearts not the quality of our sound, that is, unless you are helping to lead in the praises of God. It should be the desire of every member in the church to glorify God during their worship and praise of him.

Beyond the worship in our church gatherings, we should spend time worshiping God at home. This should be a daily practice. When we all worship God on a regular basis, our corporate worship will be infused with power.

Let’s allow God to develop within us a love for him so strong and so bold that we learn to worship him without abandon. This is something we can grow into. As we abide in the truth of God and as we learn to live for Him, our praises will become a natural and meaningful expression of our lives to God.

Dear Lord of Heaven,

It is my desire to be a worshiper of you. I long to give myself over to you in heartfelt praise. Help me to grow to a place where my worship of you is free and bold. I want my praises to you to be glorious. I thank you for helping me to love you the way you love me. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Come to Jesus

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Psalm 73:24

Death comes to all of us. The only exception is for those who are believers during the rapture. I believe in healing; I believe in miracles, but God has the final say in our lives and in the lives of those we love.  As I write these words, my father’s health is failing. He is a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease, and he may be transitioning to God’s kingdom very shortly. He has experienced God’s healing along the way. Severe bedsores, over a relatively short time, improved greatly. He walked with assistance, for a time, after an injury to his back. This is after he was bedridden. These healings were answers to prayer.

But I believe Dad’s future now lies beyond this life. About a year and a half ago, he gave his heart to Jesus. This quiet but strong man bowed his heart to the King of Kings. He accepted Christ’s unmerited forgiveness. He surrendered his unrighteousness for the righteousness that can only be found in Jesus. For so many years, he was resistant to the gospel. Now he is a child of the King. Thanks be to God heaven is his home. A glorious eternity awaits him.

Have you been putting off the most important decision you can make – the decision to embrace Jesus and his salvation for you? Will you bow your knee to the Savior. He died and rose for you. He has a wonderful plan for your life. Don’t wait till your twilight years to come to God. Come to him now. The scripture says, “Today is the day of salvation.” Invite him in your heart today. Tomorrow may be too late.